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The Atlanta Braves added some catching depth on Thursday when they acquired Raffy Lopez from the San Diego Padres in exchange for cash considerations. Lopez's addition gives the Braves 36 players on their 40-man roster.
The Atlanta #Braves last night acquired C Raffy Lopez from the San Diego Padres in exchange for cash considerations. The club’s 40-man roster now stands at 36.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 1, 2018
Lopez appeared in 37 games with the Padres last season hitting just .176/.265/.284 with three home runs in 117 plate appearances. He’s appeared in 76 games at the major league level in his career hitting .184/.270/.322 with seven homers.
The deal is purely a depth move for Atlanta who is thin at catcher in the upper levels of the minors. This move is similar to the one they made last offseason when they acquired Chris Stewart. The difference this time around is that Lopez still has options and can be sent to the minors without having to go through waivers.
#Braves made early move to add catcher Lopez from Padres for Triple-A depth. Key is he has options, unlike last year when they signed minor league free agent out of options and couldn't bring him up to cover for couple of days without putting him through waivers going back down
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) November 1, 2018