ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - The Braves claimed left-hander Ken Waldichuk off waivers from the Athletics, the team said Thursday.
The left-hander spent all of 2025 in the minors, racking up an 8.65 ERA in 51 innings with Triple-A Las Vegas. 2025 was his return to professional baseball after he missed 2024 because of Tommy John surgery.
The 28-year-old has a 5.28 ERA over 175.2 innings in the major leagues, good for a 78 ERA+.
The Braves will pay Waldichuk $825,000 in 2026. This year is the first of four arbitration-eligible seasons, giving the Braves plenty of control over the left-hander. The hope is that new pitching coach Jeremy Hefner can revitalize Waldichuk, turning him into a serviceable bullpen or back-end rotation piece.
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