Braves select Dylan Dodd, option Jared Shuster; designate Jordan Luplow for assignment

The Atlanta Braves made the much-expected move of selecting left-handed pitcher Dylan Dodd to join the team’s rotation but did so in a surprising way by optioning fellow left-hander Jared Shuster to Gwinnett and designating off-season free agent signee Jordan Luplow for assignment.

Shuster struggled in the first inning of his Major League debut against the Washington Nationals yesterday, allowing four runs in 4.2 innings. All four runs were given up in the first inning, with Shuster settling-in after a tumultuous bottom of the first, throwing 79 pitches and bridging the early innings until Michael Tonkin and Jesse Chavez were able to complete the balance of the game.

The designation of Luplow, who seemed to be slated for at least a platoon role in left field after being signed by Atlanta this past December, is somewhat unexpected. Although the 29-year-old struggled in 2022 with Arizona, he was seen as a buy-low candidate before injuries delayed his start to Spring Training. Atlanta optioned him to AAA on March 20, 2023. He was 3 for 10 with three RBI in three games with Gwinnett this season.

For Dodd, his addition to the roster was expected, as he is slated to start tomorrow against the Cardinals in St. Louis in what would be his Major League-debut.