Braves add another OF, claim Heredia off waivers from Mets

<p>NORTH PORT, Fla. &mdash; The Atlanta Braves claimed outfielder Guillermo Heredia off waivers from the New York Mets on Wednesday.</p>
<p>Heredia, who was added to Atlanta’s 40-man roster, was designated for assignment on Sunday when the Mets <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-new-york-toronto-new-york-mets-kevin-pillar-f57b2918f92d0881c19bc34d47d169af">finalized a deal </a> with center fielder Kevin Pillar.</p>
<p>Heredia is the second veteran outfielder to be added to Atlanta’s roster this week. The Braves <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mlb-cristian-pache-ender-inciarte-marcell-ozuna-atlanta-braves-c96a47a8a3133336268916f15911fe53">claimed Phillip Ervin</a> off waivers from the Chicago Cubs on Monday.</p>
<p>“We’ve got a lot of outfielders in camp all of a sudden,” manager Brian Snitker said Wednesday.</p>
<p>Heredia, 30, played for the Mets and Pittsburgh last season, hitting .212 with two homers and five RBIs in 15 games. He has a .239 career batting average in five seasons with Seattle, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and the Mets. </p>
<p>There could be an opening on the Braves’ roster after outfielder Adam Duvall signed with the Miami Marlins. Nick Markakis remains a free agent.</p>
<p>Rookie Cristian Pache will compete with Ender Inciarte in center field. Right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and left fielder Marcell Ozuna are established starters. Abraham Almonte also is competing for a roster spot.</p>
<p>Infielder Jack Mayfield was designated for assignment to clear a spot for Heredia on the 40-man roster.</p>
<p>Snitker said it will be a challenge to find playing time for all the outfielders. He said the plan is “to get them all in shape, get them in games and see what we think.”</p>
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