The Braves moved quickly on June 4, acquiring catcher Austin Wynns from the Angels for cash and selecting him to the major league roster. To make room, they designated Chadwick Tromp for assignment, a shift that changes Atlanta’s catching group immediately, even if the shape of the move suggests it may not last long.
That is why Wynns is the name Atlanta fans are searching now. The 35-year-old arrived after signing a minor league deal with Los Angeles only a couple of weeks earlier, and he had not appeared in the majors for the Angels before being sent to Atlanta. He brings a long major league resume, having played for the Reds, Athletics, Orioles, Giants, Dodgers and Rockies, and he owns a.231/.276/.347 line in 826 big league plate appearances.
The Braves did not stop with one catching move. They also transferred Sean Murphy from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list, which opened the roster path for Wynns, and they are expected to split time behind the plate with Wynns and Sandy Leon. In the same wave, Atlanta selected the contract of outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to the 40-man roster and then optioned him back to Triple-A Gwinnett, a paper move that underscores how much roster juggling the club was doing on a single day.
Tromp paid the price for the shuffle. He appeared in 12 games with Atlanta, going 5-for-25 with a double, no walks, a sacrifice fly and a sacrifice bunt, and he finished with a.200/.192/.240 line in 27 trips to the plate. That is the kind of line a club can move off quickly when it wants a different look, but the way the Braves framed the catching plan leaves one question hanging: if Wynns is really there for the next two weeks until Baldwin returns on the next home stand, how long does he stay once that window closes?
For now, the answer is simply that Atlanta has made its choice. Wynns is in, Tromp is out, Murphy is on the 60-day injured list, and the Braves have bought themselves a short-term solution behind the plate while the rest of the catching picture sorts itself out.
