Athletics acquire Yacksel Rios from Braves for cash considerations

The Oakland Athletics announced Sunday that they have acquired minor league pitcher Yacksel Rios from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash considerations. Rios wasn’t on Atlanta’s 40-man roster and will likely head to Las Vegas for the time being.

Rios is a 29-year old right-hander who last pitched in the majors in 2021. He has appeared in 89 games at the major league level where he posted a 5.77 ERA and a 5.37 FIP in 96 2/3 innings. He signed a minor league deal with the Braves during the offseason and has put up good numbers at Triple A where he had a 1.46 ERA and a 2.74 FIP in 24 2/3 innings.

Rios is averaging more than a strikeout per inning, but has surrendered just one home run despite having a 27.8% ground ball rate. It will be interesting to see if that holds at the major league level if and when he gets an opportunity.