Braves plan to call up 2023 first-rounder Hurston Waldrep to make MLB debut Sunday

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Atlanta Braves plan to bring up Hurston Waldrep, the team’s first-round pick in the 2023 draft, to make his major league debut Sunday against the Washington Nationals.

Waldrep will start the finale of the four-game series, pushing left-hander Max Fried back to the opener of a three-game set at Baltimore on Tuesday night.

“It’s just like we’ve been doing all year, just giving guys extra days,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He’d been throwing the ball pretty well. It was his time to throw. We’re going to continue probably do this all year, where we give these guys extra days' rest. We’re trying to keep them all healthy and upright as we wind everything down.”

Waldrep, a Thomasville, Georgia, native, was the No. 24 pick in last year’s draft after playing two seasons at Southern Mississippi and one at Florida. He is 3-5 with a 3.09 ERA in 10 starts between Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett this year.

“I grew up a Braves fan,” Waldrep said. “Just being able to put this uniform on, it will mean a lot.”

The right-hander will be the fourth player selected in last year’s first round to make his big league debut, joining Pittsburgh pitcher Paul Skenes (first overall), Texas outfielder Wyatt Langford (fourth) and Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel (11th).

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