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A right-handed arm with World Series pedigree is heading to Atlanta.
The Braves have obtained pitcher Dane Dunning from the Rangers, swapping him for veteran reliever José Ruiz and an undisclosed amount of cash, as stated in an announcement by both teams on Thursday evening.
To make room on their 40-man roster, the Braves designated 41-year-old reliever Jesse Chavez for assignment.
At 30 years old, Dunning was part of Texas’s 2023 World Series-winning squad, where he achieved a 3.70 ERA over 26 regular-season starts and participated in six playoff games.
That marked the best statistical season of Dunning’s six year MLB career to this point.
Hailing from Orange Park, Fla., Dunning faced challenges in 2024, recording a 5.31 ERA across 95 innings, and this year he has only pitched 10.2 innings solely as a reliever, spending the majority of his time in the minor leagues.
After struggling in spring training, Dunning did not make Texas’ Opening Day roster, and the team waived him in hopes that another franchise would take on his $2.66 million contract.
No team did, so he has spent most of the year with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express, with whom Dunning has notched a 4.47 ERA in 46.1 innings.
In Atlanta, Dunning will have a chance to crack the rotation, as the Braves are without Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo López, and AJ Smith-Shawver.
Ruiz, in his ninth MLB season, has pitched a combined 16.1 innings this season between stints with the Phillies and Braves.
He carved out a role for himself in Philadelphia’s bullpen last year, posting a 3.71 ERA in 51 innings with 52 strikeouts.
Before his time with the Phillies, he briefly pitched with the Diamondbacks in 2024 and spent the previous five years with the White Sox.
The move comes two weeks before the MLB trade deadline, which is on July 31, where many speculated that the Braves could be sellers.
Atlanta, 42-53, is 9.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the National League and could look to offload some of their pricier rentals.
