NORTH PORT, FLA.— The Atlanta Braves sent reliever Jackson Stephens to Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday, freeing up a spot on the opening day roster for longtime fan favorite Jesse Chavez. The 40-year-old Chavez was signed by the Braves the day before, having been released by the Chicago White Sox, who benched the veteran right-hander after he gave up nine earned runs in seven innings during spring training. This will be Chavez’s fifth season with the Atlanta Braves. “Words can’t express how I feel right now. There’s so many emotions going on with how I feel about Braves country that it’s really tough,” Chavez said, holding back tears.
With a 1.56 ERA and one save in 36 games, the right-hander was among the team’s most productive relievers in the first half of the previous campaign. However, he ended up missing over three months following a comeback from Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera’s June 24 left leg hit.
The Braves felt Chavez was not as productive as he was prior to the injury, so they left him off their postseason team when he returned late in the season. The Braves failed to re-sign him after the season, which let him sign with the White Sox.
Chavez has returned to more comfortable settings for what he claims would be his last season.
Following a 3.68 ERA in six outings over seven and a half innings during spring training, Stephens was outright sent to Gwinnett. It appeared like he would be included in the starting lineup for Thursday’s scheduled opener against Philadelphia, if only the Braves could get Chavez back in the long relief position.
Less than a year after being acquired by the Braves in a trade with Tampa Bay for Rafael Soriano on December 11, 2009, Chavez was dealt to Kansas City.
On April 21, 2022, the Braves acquired Chavez once more from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for reliever Sean Newcomb. Later that season, Chavez was traded to the Angels in a transaction that sent closer Raisel Iglesias to Atlanta.
Later in the 2022 season, the Braves claimed Chavez off waivers, and before the current season, they signed him once more as a free agent. In his sixteen-year career, he has played for nine teams, five of which he has played for more than once.
