The Atlanta Braves claimed right-hander Ricky Vanasco off waivers from the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett, adding another optionable arm as they push toward October.
Vanasco, 27, fills the 40-man roster spot that opened when Atlanta released reliever Tyler Kinley. Detroit signed Kinley days later and designated Vanasco for assignment to make room.
The sequence amounted to an accidental swap: the Braves recalled AJ Smith-Shawver, DFA’d and released Kinley, the Tigers scooped him up, and Atlanta circled back for Vanasco.
The Florida native’s big-league résumé is thin and ugly. Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round in 2017 out of Williston High School, he debuted with the Los Angeles Dodgers in April 2024 and later appeared with Detroit.
In five games for the Tigers this season he went 0-1 with a 15.63 ERA, allowing 11 earned runs in 6 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and six walks.
Combined with four innings in 2024, his career major-league line is 1-1 with a 12.19 ERA in 10 1/3 innings across nine games.
Atlanta is betting on the larger sample below. This year at Triple-A Toledo, Vanasco posted a 2.53 ERA in 46 1/3 innings over 35 appearances (two starts).
He struck out 30.7 percent of batters, generated ground balls at a 48.6 percent clip, and walked 12.5 percent. His four-seamer sat at 94.7 mph and accounted for about half his pitches; he mixed in a curveball and changeup roughly a quarter of the time each, plus a little-used slider.
At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Vanasco has starting experience in the minors but has settled into relief. He remains optionable, which is the point.
The Braves’ bullpen has been a strength, yet injuries have created question marks. A right-hander who can miss bats and keep the ball on the ground at Triple-A is cheap depth if another arm goes down in September or the postseason.
He is not a high-leverage plan. He is insurance with a pulse and a strikeout rate that looks real in the minors. Gwinnett will be his next stop.
If Atlanta needs a fresh arm in a hurry, Vanasco is now in the system instead of someone else’s.
