De La Cruz promoted to M-Braves after dealing nine-inning no-hitter on Saturday for Florida
BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Atlanta Braves have made the following roster moves prior to today's 4:00 pm game in Birmingham which affects the Mississippi Braves roster. RHP Jasseel De La Cruz has been promoted to Mississippi from High-A Florida, RHP Bradley Roney has been activated from the Mississippi Injured List and transferred to
BIRMINGHAM, AL - The Atlanta Braves have made the following roster moves prior to today's 4:00 pm game in Birmingham which affects the Mississippi Braves roster. RHP
De La Cruz, 21, in his fourth Florida State League start on Saturday night, threw the first no-hitter in Fire Frogs history as he led Florida past Jupiter, 12-0. He needed only 89 pitches to accomplish the feat and ultimately faced two above the minimum in the outing, issuing two walks and striking out four in his first career shutout. De La Cruz threw 11 or fewer pitches in seven of nine frames in the outing. He threw only five pitches in two different innings and needed only 20 pitches to get through the fourth through sixth innings combined. De La Cruz has now gone the distance twice in four starts since his promotion to Florida. He tossed his first career complete game on May 5, when he allowed two runs on three hits over six innings in a losing effort against Tampa.
The Braves promoted De La Cruz, a Dominican Republic native whom they signed in June 2015, to the Fire Frogs after he posted a 2.50 ERA with 22 strikeouts and five walks over 18 innings (four starts) at Low-A Rome. He has yet to allow more than three earned runs in any of his eight starts this season, registering a 2.15 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 46 innings between the two levels.
Roney, 26, a Southern Miss product was placed on Mississippi's disabled list on last April with right shoulder impingement syndrome and missed the entire season. The Wetumpka, Alabama native appeared in 18 games between High-A Florida and Mississippi in 2017, limited by two stints on the 7-day disabled list, first from May 22 to June 2 (right biceps inflammation) before another trip from July 11 through the end of the season (right shoulder impingement syndrome).
Roney split the 2016 season between Mississippi and Triple-A Gwinnett, combining to go 4-0 with a 3.33 ERA (25 ER/67.2 IP), six saves and 88 strikeouts He ended the year in the Top 10 among Atlanta farmhands (min. 30.0 IP) in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (5th, 11.7), saves (T7th, 6) and hits per 9.0 innings (T9th, 6.8).
Roney was selected by the Braves in the eighth round (253rd overall) of the 2014 draft out of Southern Miss.
Kelly, 26, has appeared in two games for the M-Braves this season allowing no runs over 5.1 innings with three walks and three strikeouts, limiting the opposition to a .158 batting average. Kelly has combined to go 1-1 with a 4.26 ERA (9 ER/19.0 IP) between Mississippi and High-A Florida with 11 walks and 25 strikeouts.
Kelly was acquired by the Braves from the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for RHP
The M-Braves and Barons play game four of the five-game series on Sunday afternoon at Regions Field. RHP
The Mississippi Braves will return to Trustmark Park for a Memorial Day Weekend Celebration, May 22-26, at Trustmark Park. Saturday, May 25 the first 1,000 fans will receive an M-Braves Patriotic Cap, in partnership with Mississippi Veterans Affairs. Post-Game Fireworks will follow the game on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26. Each game will begin at 6:05 pm. For tickets or more information, visit mississippibraves.com or call 888-BRAVES4.