Andrew

Velazquez

It’s the first large round of cuts that we have seen from the Rangers this spring but certainly won’t be the last. Nothing surprising to see here as none of the 10 players were serious candidates to crack the Opening Day roster.

Velazquez bolsters Texas’s middle infield depth behind Corey Seager entering spring training. The light-hitting 31-year-old represents a decent emergency stopgap solution having appeared in 275 games in the big leagues since 2018. He hasn’t appeared in the majors since getting into 54 contests for the Angels back in 2023. He hit .242/.304/.345 with five homers and 25 steals in 368 plate appearances over 106 games at the Triple-A level this past season.

Velazquez was with the Yankees back in spring training and has spent the bulk of the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre prior to being cut loose in early August. The 31-year-old journeyman infielder hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since the 2023 campaign.

Velazquez returns to the New York organization three years after joining the Yankees from the Orioles. The 30-year-old infielder can play anywhere on the dirt, but offers no offensive upside whatsoever. He’ll compete for one of the bench spots, but likely is going to provide depth in Triple-A.

The move brings the Braves’ roster down to 28 players in spring camp. Two of those players are Penn Murfee and Angel Perdomo, who are expected to go on the 60-day IL so it appears Atlanta has it’s Opening Day roster ready to go. This also means that Forrest Wall will earn the 26th and final roster spot, if the team decides not to bring anyone else in. Wall made the postseason roster last season and after putting together a solid camp with a .971 OPS and 10 RBI across 33 plate appearances, he will be rewarded to start the 2024 season.

The Braves claimed Velazquez off of waivers in September, but he was a roster casualty when they trimmed their 40-man in November. The slick-fielding 29-year-old infielder hit just .173/.264/.284 with a pair of homers, three RBI and 13 stolen bases in 94 plate appearances with the Angels during the 2023 campaign. He’ll add infield depth for the Braves.

The Braves claimed Velazquez off waivers from the Angels in September, but they never brought him to the majors. Best known for his glove, the 29-year-old is a lifetime .189/.244/.293 hitter in 624 plate appearances as a major leaguer.

Velazquez, who is ineligible for Atlanta’s postseason roster, will head to Triple-A Gwinnett as extra organizational infield depth. The 29-year-old middle infielder wound up getting into just 54 games this season for the Angels, posting a .548 OPS with two homers and 13 stolen bases across 94 plate appearances.

With Matt Thaiss returning from the injured list, Velazquez will head back to the minors. The 28-year-old hit just .173/.264/.284 across 94 plate appearances for the Angels this season.

This is now the fourth straight game that Neto has missed due to his back injury. However, there was some speculation last night that the Angels would opt to let Neto rest for the first game of the doubleheader and have him start game two, so we’ll keep an eye out for that. For game one, Andrew Velazquez will start in his place at shortstop.