The Braves announced Wednesday that they have selected the top infield prospect’s contract Vaughn Grissom by Double-A Mississippi and activated right-hander Kirby Yates from the 60-day injured list.
To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta activated the first baseman mike ford from the 10-day IL and designated him for action and also transferred him as an outfielder Adam Duval from 10-day IL to 60-day IL. Atlanta also announced this infielder Orlando Arkia goes to the 10-day IL with a strained Achilles tendon and does it right Huascar Ynoa was opted for Triple-A. That frees up two spots on the 26-man list for Grissom and Yates.
Grissom, who’s only 21, was an 11th-round pick in 2019 who has skyrocketed through the minors and in a .363/.408/.516 slash through his first 98 plate appearances in Double-A culminated. That’s his only experience of A-Ball, although this year’s .312/.404/.487 output in 344 plate appearances at High-A is also worth noting. It’s the second time this season that the Braves have aggressively promoted a top contender straight from the Double-A ranks, and it’s easy to imagine that being the big hit MichaelHarris I may have encouraged the front office to go to the fountain a second time.
Despite this modest draft status, Grissom has risen to #77 on Baseball America’s most recent Top 100 list and #98 on MLB.com. He’s hit 14 homers, 20 doubles and two triples in those two minor league levels this season while going 27-for-32 on stolen base attempts. Grissom doesn’t walk much (8.1% on the season but only four walks in 98 Double-A plate appearances), but he’s also only fueled 12.2% of his plate appearances this season.
Grissom has been primarily a shortstop this season and throughout his minor league career, but the Braves have given him seven starts at second base and six at third base in the minors so far this year. Scouting reports at BA. MLB.com and FanGraphs question his ability to stay at shortstop long-term, but his racquet is considered solid enough to excel second, third, or even in the outfield (though he’s only played infield up to this point in his pro career). ). ). At short notice we went to IL with Arcia and Ozzie Albies still fixing a broken foot, it seems likely Grissom will get a ticket to work at second base.
Starting Grissom’s service clock now sets him up for a possible trip to free agency in the 2028-29 off-season, although much can change along the way. Albies and third baseman Austin Riley are signed long-term in the infield, and it’s not yet known if the Braves can keep the future free agent Dansby Swanson beyond the current season. Even if Swanson left, Grissom wouldn’t be a bar to stepping straight into the fray. He’s largely untested above Class-A, and while Harris’ track record is encouraging, it’s more common for players – even top prospects – to struggle after such aggressive promotions. Regardless, he’ll earn some big league time this season, and his placement on the 40-man roster a year earlier than required will accelerate his minor league option plan.
Turning to veteran Yates, he adds another high-profile, potentially dominant arm to an Atlanta bullpen that’s hardly short of such merchandise. The 35-year-old signed a two-year, $8.25 million deal this winter — a arrears deal that will only net him $1 million in 2022, since Yates was up to that point during last year’s rehab for the entire season was postponed tommy john surgery. When he was last healthy in 2018-19, he was an All-Star closer with the Padres, posting a combined ERA with 53 saves, a whopping 38.7% strikeout rate and a tiny 6.1% walk rate from 1.67.
It remains to be seen if Yates can regain that form, but his past work on a minor league rehab assignment certainly inspires some optimism. Across three Braves affiliates, Yates recorded a combined 8 1/3 innings of one-run ball with only four hits allowed and a 10-to-2 K/BB ratio. He’ll be in contention Kenley Jansen, Raisel Iglesias, AJ Minter, Tyler Matzek and Collin McHugh near the back of a superb bullpen.
As for the 30-year-old Ford, he’s unsuccessful in eight big league plate appearances with the Braves this season and has logged a .150/.320/.175 combined batting line in 50 plate appearances between Atlanta, Seattle and San Francisco. The former Yankees minor league player was never considered one of the top prospects in the New York organization, but carries a .258/.355/.481 batting streak and 61 home runs in 1,294 career record appearances in Triple-A. With trading in players who were in the major leagues this season being banned after the August 2 deadline, Ford will be faced with waivers within the next week and made available to all 29 other clubs.