Veteran righty Edwards added to bullpen

ATLANTA -- Carl Edwards Jr. has been given a chance to resuscitate his career and help the Braves create a stronger right-handed presence within their left-handed-heavy bullpen.

Before Friday night’s 12-2 loss to the Phillies, the Braves purchased Edwards’ contract from Triple-A Gwinnett and optioned Edgar Santana to Gwinnett. Santana was promoted last week to replace fellow right-handed reliever Nate Jones, who was designated for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot for Edwards.

Edwards allowed three runs -- two of which came on a homer by J.T. Realmuto -- in one third of an inning in his first appearance for the club.

“Carl has been through the wars before and he's an established veteran,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said before the game. “When the guy is throwing good, there is no better time to give him a go.”

Edwards opted out of his Minor League contract with the Braves near the end of Spring Training and then rejoined the organization a few days later. His opportunity began to materialize as Jones surrendered a .380 on-base percentage over 12 appearances.

Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos provided positive feedback after going to the alternate training site to see Edwards, a 29-year-old veteran who was a rookie when he helped the Cubs win the 2016 World Series.

Edwards posted a 3.03 ERA over 167 appearances for the Cubs from 2016-18 and then battled multiple injuries the past two seasons.

Santana was acquired from the Pirates earlier this month to serve as bullpen depth. The 29-year-old right-hander posted a 3.26 ERA in 69 appearances for Pittsburgh in 2018. But he underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the year and then missed last season while serving a suspension for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.

Snitker likes the sinker possessed by Santana, who retired just eight of the 14 batters faced over four appearances for the Braves.

“This kid hasn’t pitched in a few years, so I think it would be good to get him regular [innings],” Snitker said.