The Braves signed right-handers Javy Guerra and Blayne Enlow to minor league contracts (h/t to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy). They also added first baseman Tristin English and reliever Tayler Scott on minor league deals last month, according to the MLB.com transaction log.
Scott, 33, is a well-traveled righty who made 24 appearances between the Astros and Diamondbacks last year. He struggled to a 7.90 earned run average over 27 1/3 innings. The South Africa-born pitcher is only a year removed from firing 68 2/3 frames of 2.23 ERA ball with Houston. He carries a 5.51 mark with a 21.2% strikeout percentage and 12.2% walk rate over parts of five MLB campaigns.
Guerra returns to affiliated ball after two seasons in Japan. The 30-year-old infielder turned reliever was employed by the Hanshin Tigers from 2024-25. Guerra pitched to a 1.55 ERA across 59 appearances two seasons ago. He nevertheless spent most of last year with the Tigers’ minor league affiliate, only pitching 4 2/3 innings at the NPB level. The Panamanian-born Guerra has a big arm but has struggled to throw strikes since making the mid-career move to pitching.
English, a 28-year-old first baseman, played seven games for the Diamondbacks last year. He went 2-22 with a walk and eight strikeouts. English had a good season for Arizona’s Triple-A affiliate, batting .324/.368/.524 with 16 homers across 428 plate appearances. That was better than average production even at a hitter’s paradise in Reno. English has good contact skills and reasonable power, but he’s prone to expanding the strike zone. The deal with the Braves is a homecoming for the Georgia Tech product, who’ll likely open the season at Triple-A Gwinnett.
Enlow, 27 in March, is a former third-round pick who was once a well-regarded prospect in the Minnesota system. The 6’3″ righty pitched well through Double-A but hit a wall at the Triple-A level. Enlow signed a minor league deal with the Giants going into 2024 but suffered a season-ending injury after two starts, then missed all of last season. He’s a pure depth add for the rotation who is still looking to reach the majors for the first time.
