The Braves announced a series of moves today, mostly shaking up their catching body. Atlanta got a veteran catcher Austin Wynns from the Angels for cash (as first noted in the MLB.com log) and selected him from the major league roster. A backstop for others Chadwick Trump he was given a share in the same move.
Atlanta also picked up the outfielder’s contract DaShawn Keirsey Jr. on the 40-man roster and immediately opted to return to Triple-A Gwinnett. They created a 40-man spot by transferring a substitute Sean Murphy from 10-day IL to 60-day IL. Mark Bowman of MLB.com notes that Keirsey had opted out of his minor league contract, and it appears the Braves were unwilling to let him hit the open market.
Wynns, 35, signed a minor league deal with the Halos a few weeks ago. He didn’t appear in the majors either before this trade to Atlanta. Wynns suited up for the Reds, A’s, Orioles, Giants, Dodgers and Rockies, compiling a lifetime .231/.276/.347 slash line in 826 major league plate appearances (293 games). Obviously that’s below average but it’s much better than the usual levels of offensive output from Tromp and his co-host Sandy Leonwho will split time with Wynns behind the plate following today’s shakeup.
On the defensive side of things, Wynns doesn’t draw high draft marks, but Statcast thinks he’s solid when it comes to blocking balls to the wall. Even more impressive, he blocked 30.2% of the steals he attempted in the majors – matching his career mark of 31% in the minors.
Tromp appeared in twelve games with the Braves and went 5-for-25 with a double, no walks, a sacrifice fly and a sacrifice bunt, resulting in an oddball hitting line of .200/.192/.240 in 27 trips to the plate. He is a career .218/.225/.371 hitter in the majors. He’s spent most of the past five seasons in the Braves organization, so if he clears waivers following today’s DFA, there’s a good chance he’ll move on, either by accepting an outright assignment or opting for free agency and returning with a new major league deal.
Keirsey, 29, appeared in parts of two seasons with the Twins (2024-25). He is a fast and defensive outfielder with a .113/.149/.206 slash line in 102 big league plate appearances. His .260/.298/.384 slash so far in Triple-A doesn’t inspire much hope, but he’s 16-for-17 on stolen bases and Atlanta apparently likes his wheels and defensive ability enough to sacrifice a 40-man roster spot to keep him in the organization.
