With another spot on the 28-man roster open following the roster moves from earlier today, we knew another transaction was coming, and it’s a bit surprising. The once highly-touted Jacob Webb has been DFA’d to make room for Jackson Stephens.
The #Braves today also selected the contract of RHP Jackson Stephens, and he will be active for tonight’s game. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta designated RHP Jacob Webb for assignment.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 12, 2022
Webb’s career numbers are pretty fantastic. He has a 2.47 ERA over 76.2 innings, but that was anchored by an incredible start. Webb was a critical piece to the 2019 team, posting a 1.39 ERA in 36 appearances. In 2020, injury struck, but he did come on at the end of the season and did not give up a run over ten innings. However, the underlying statistics were always questionable, and last season, those came to light. Webb never really found his footing with the team as he was yo-yoed up and down between AAA and the majors. After a poor Spring Training this season, he failed to make the Opening Day roster, leading to him being designated for assignment. The Braves are obviously comfortable with the group they have, and I think another team out there will take a liking to Webb.
Jackson Stephens is the man replacing him. The 27-year-old was an 18th round pick back in 2012 out of high school and made his MLB debut in 2017 for the Reds. His results in the majors have been relatively insignificant, appearing in just 2017 and 2018. Last season, he spent most of his time across Latin America before the Braves organization picked him up. On paper, there isn’t anything eye-popping about Stephens’ game, but these are the kind of signings that have paid substantial dividends for the Braves in the past.
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