Righty Jackson Stephens has been re-signed by the Braves to a minor league contract, according to the team’s MLB.com transaction log. Triple-A Gwinnett is where he has been assigned. Stephens had previously turned down an outright assignment in favor of free agency and cleared waivers. In the end, he’ll remain with the team, though it’s possible that the new contract may eventually include revised opt-out clauses.
Earlier in the season, Stephens threw three and a third innings for Atlanta, giving up two walks, one run on five hits, and two strikeouts. The right-hander, 30, has been a member of the Braves organization for the last three seasons, the most of which he has spent in Gwinnett. Stephens has 69 big league innings (3.78 FIP, 4.13 SIERA) since 2022 with a 3.52 ERA. Even though Stephens’ 9.5% walk rate and 19.7% strikeout rate are lower than that baseline earned run average, he has still mostly been successful with the Braves. With Gwinnett going back to 2022, he has also recorded ERAs in the mid-3.00s.
Stephens was one of Cincinnati’s most promising arms until 2018 and was selected by the Reds in the 18th round in 2012. Pitching for the franchise that picked him, he spent two seasons from 2017 to 2018 with a 4.83 ERA in 63 1/3 innings. After being outrighted by the Reds after the 2019 season, Stephens spent the whole season in the minor leagues and became a free agent. He did not play baseball during the abbreviated 2020 season (which included the cancellation of the minor league season). He then played with Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League in 2021–2022 before joining the Braves during the 2021–2022 summer.
It’s not shocking that Stephens has settled in with the Braves organization given that he was born and raised in Oxford, Alabama, which is located around 90 miles west of Atlanta. The closeness to home and the familiarity he’s gained over three years in the organization both probably appealed to him. He could have gotten a minor league deal elsewhere, maybe with a team that has a less-established bullpen group in the majors. This summer, he will return to Gwinnett and attempt to earn a spot on the major league team once more.
Be the first to comment