ATLANTA (AP) — Jesse Chavez is back for his seventh stint with the Atlanta Braves, the second return this season.
The Braves added the 41-year-old reliever to their Major League roster before Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. It marks the sixth move to add the veteran right-hander to Atlanta’s roster since 2021, and the seventh overall since 2009.
Chavez allowed two runs over three innings in his first stint with the Braves this season after being called up on April 1. He was released a few days later and granted free agency before re-signing with the club.
The Braves optioned left-hander Dylan Dodd to Gwinnett of Triple-A and placed right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach on the 60-day injured list. Schwellenbach was added to the injured list on Wednesday with a right elbow fracture, which could possibly end his season.
Schwellenbach’s loss led the Braves to use seven pitchers, including Dodd, in a bullpen-heavy effort in the 9-6, 10-inning defeat to Baltimore on Saturday. That prompted the move to add Chavez to provide more bullpen depth for the series finale on Sunday.
Chavez first joined the Braves in December 2009 in a trade with Tampa Bay for Cuban reliever Rafael Soriano. He played for the Braves’ 2021 World Series-winning team after signing a minor-league contract.
Chavez made his Major League debut with Pittsburgh in 2008 and has pitched for nine teams over 18 seasons, including multiple stints with Toronto, the Angels, Texas, and the Chicago Cubs.
