Coming off a disappointing loss to the Nationals on Tuesday night, the Atlanta Braves are looking to get back on track with star rookie AJ Smith-Shawver on the mound. However, there are a number of things going on with the Braves beyond their road trip to Washington at the moment.
Here is some of the news around the Braves that you may have missed even if you have been following their games closely lately.
Braves News: Atlanta released Garrett Cooper and Jordan Weems
Like many teams around the league right now, the Braves are seeing a lot of roster movement in the minor leagues as players get promoted and shuffled around. Unfortunately, that means that some players get handed their walking papers like 1B/OF Garrett Cooper and reliever Jordan Weems just were.
There was a time that Cooper was a thorn in the Braves’ side when he was with the Marlins which is probably one reason why Atlanta decided to bring Cooper in on a minor league deal back in January. Weems was pretty good with Washington in 2023, but a down 2024 season seems to have carried over to this season in the minors. Given the Braves’ options ahead of them, releasing Cooper and Weems at least gives them a chance to catch on with another team.
Braves News: Andruw Jones to manage Team Netherlands in WBC
Most of the time these days, any news that involves Andruw Jones generally involves the Hall of Fame and the segment of HOF voters’ stubborn unwillingness to vote him into Cooperstown. However, Jones has been making more public appearances lately and now he is looking to try and give back to his native Curacao as the manager of Team Netherlands in the next World Baseball Classic.
Jones is very familiar with the WBC as he competed in it twice as a player and has served as the Netherlands bench coach in 2017 and 2023. With Team Netherlands needing a new manager this go-around, Jones was a natural fit.
Braves News: Former top Atlanta pitching prospect Lucas Sims signs with the Phillies
There was a time when some thought that Lucas Sims was going to be an integral part of the Braves’ rotation for years to come. He was a local product and Atlanta spent a first round pick on him back in 2012 right out of Brookwood High School. Unfortunately, the emergence of better pitching prospects combined with persistent issues with consistency and his command caused the Braves to move on and Sims to be moved to the bullpen.
After an up-and-down tenure with the Reds, Sims found himself looking for work this season and just landed with one of the Braves biggest rivals. After losing reliever Jose Alvarado to a drug suspension, the Phillies signed Sims to a minor league deal.
