As the Atlanta Braves navigate some injuries to key players and inconsistency behind the plate without Drake Baldwin in the lineup, one familiar organizational fixture has already found a new opportunity elsewhere.
The Braves decided to cut veteran catcher Chadwick Tromp from the big-league roster earlier this month after it had acquired Austin Wynns from the Los Angeles Angels. That pushed Tromp to elect free agency, ending a lengthy relationship between Tromp and the organization that spanned parts of six seasons.
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And just days after being cut by the Braves, Tromp has reportedly landed with an American League contender.
The Orioles have signed catcher Chadwick Tromp to a minor league deal,” Darragh McDonald reported for MLB Trade Rumors. “He has been assigned to Triple-A Norfolk. He elected free agency earlier this week after being designated for assignment by Atlanta.”
The timing is notable, given Baltimore’s current uncertainty at catcher.
“The Orioles currently have a bit of uncertainty in their catching mix,” McDonald added. “Adley Rutschman has a left hamstring issue while Samuel Basallo is dealing with a left wrist ailment… Rutschman hasn’t appeared in a game since Sunday, when he served as the designated hitter.”
As a result, Tromp could become an important option for the Orioles amid that uncertainty, particularly given his seven years of big-league experience. He played for the Orioles briefly last year, logging three hits and four strikeouts in six games for the club before eventually returning to the Braves.
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Following the Braves’ decision to cut Tromp from the roster in favor of Wynns, manager Walt Weiss spoke highly of the veterans contributions during his lengthy tenure with the organization.
“Trompy did a good job for us and he’s part of this family, he’s been here for a long time,” Weiss said, according to Gabriel Burnes of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s a tough one. I think with Wynns, the track record was intriguing enough, the experience, to bring him in here when he became available. He’s had some moments offensively in the past.”
Although Tromp’s stay on the open market was brief, his move to the Orioles gives him another opportunity to work his way back to the major leagues with a club that could soon need additional depth behind the plate. For a player who spent years serving as a trusted organizational catcher in Atlanta, the next chapter of his career will begin with a return to Baltimore’s system.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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