Banuelos, Eury Perez optioned to Triple-A; Braves trim roster to 40

By foxsports
Published

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Braves whittled their major-league roster down to 40 on Friday, optioning outfielder Eury Perez and pitchers Manny Banuelos and Williams Perez for Triple-A Gwinnett.

The 24-year-old Perez (268 steals, .360 career on-base percentage in the minors) and 24-year-old Banuelos (among the club's highest-rated prospects) were considered as viable candidates to make the Braves' roster coming out of spring training.

That may be a sign of better-than-expected depth for Atlanta, which endured a substantial overhaul during the offseason -- trading away stalwarts like Jason Heyward (Cardinals), Justin Upton (Padres), David Carpenter (Yankees) and Evan Gattis (Astros), among others.

The Braves start the regular season with a three-game set at the Miami Marlins (April 6-8). On April 10, Atlanta has its home opener against the New York Mets.