Atlanta Braves Demote Player After Third Straight Loss

Connor Thomas' stay with the Atlanta Braves lasted just one game. The 28-year-old left-hander was optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday after allowing four earned runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings during Tuesday night's 12-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Braves recalled right-hander Víctor Mederos to fill his roster spot.

The decision came with Atlanta on a three-game losing streak entering Wednesday, having dropped back-to-back games to the New York Mets before falling to Pittsburgh.

The Braves are 52-38 and first in the National League East, but the late-inning bullpen issues that defined the Mets series prompted multiple roster adjustments in the span of two days.

Thomas was one of several moves the club made this week as it tries to stabilize a relief corps that faltered down the stretch against New York.

Thomas had posted a 1.54 ERA across 35 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett this season before his promotion, but he has struggled to carry that production into the big leagues.

In two career MLB appearances entering Tuesday, he had a 20.25 ERA in 5 1/3 innings. He is a Georgia native who attended Georgia Tech and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

Mederos, 25, was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels on April 3 after being designated for assignment. He was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, and was drafted by the Angels in the sixth round in 2022 out of Oklahoma State.

He has a career 8.53 ERA in 25 1/3 innings across 12 big-league appearances but gives Atlanta a fresh right-handed arm for the final stretch before the All-Star break.

The Braves have two more games in Pittsburgh then head to St. Louis for a three-game series against the Cardinals to head into the break. Atlanta leads the NL East by two games over the Philadelphia Phillies and three over the Miami Marlins.

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