The Braves announced that left-hander Austin Cox has been signed to a Major League contract and assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. Cox had been in the Royals organization on a minor league deal, but his MLB.com profile page indicates that Triple-A Omaha released him from that contract earlier today.
Cox’s big league resume consists only of 35 2/3 innings of 4.54 ERA ball with Kansas City in 2023, so it is a little surprising to see him land a guaranteed deal. Still, offering a surefire 40-man roster spot isn’t an uncommon tactic if a team wants to outbid others to land a player with limited or even zero MLB experience. The Braves might’ve also had a built-in advantage since Cox is from Macon, Georgia, so he’ll now get to play in his home state.
A fifth-round pick for the Royals in the 2018 draft, Cox is changing organizations for the first time in his pro career. His 2023 debut season in the Show came to an early and unfortunate end after he wore his ACL during a September game, though he was able to make it back to action by mid-April 2024. Cox had a 4.25 ERA, 24% strikeout rate, and 15.2% walk rate in 55 Triple-A innings last season, and a 3.55 ERA, 32.7% strikeout rate, and 10.9BB% in 12 2/3 frames with Omaha this year.
Despite the rather sizeable improvements in secondary metrics, the Royals still chose to part ways with the 28-year-old Cox. He’ll now get a change of scenery in Atlanta, where the Braves have already had a revolving door of arms log bullpen innings at the MLB level. Should Cox get another look in the majors, he’ll join Dylan Lee and Aaron Bummer as the left-handed options in the team’s bullpen.