Flaherty has officially retired as a professional baseball player and will now be brought in to the Padres organization as a quality control coach, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports.
Flaherty was hired by the Padres on Sunday as the ballclub's new quality control coach, which ultimately put an end to his 11-year MLB career. Although drafted by the Cubs in 2008, Flaherty was known for his time with the Orioles, with whom he spent six seasons with. The 33-year-old wrapped up his career with a .215/.284/.345 slash line while hitting 37 long balls over 1,474 plate appearances and will now bring his experience over to a young and talented Padres team that is looking to take a major step forward in 2020.
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Indians' Ryan Flaherty: Contract selected
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Flaherty had his contract selected by the Indians on Sunday, Mandy Bell of MLB.com reports.
Flaherty signed a minor-league deal with the club March 31 and has spent the entire season with Triple-A Columbus. He's managed a .263/.365/.466 line in 113 games but, perhaps more importantly, has spent significant time at every infield position besides catcher. As a result, he'll serve as depth across the diamond for the big-league club to close the season.
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Indians' Ryan Flaherty: Back with Cleveland on minors deal
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Flaherty signed a minor-league contract with the Indians on Sunday.
Flaherty spent the spring with Cleveland but opted out on March 20 after failing to make the team. He'll return to the Indians' Triple-A club, Columbus, after failing to find a better opportunity elsewhere.
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Ryan Flaherty: Opts out of contract
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Flaherty opted out of his contract Wednesday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.
After being informed he wouldn't break camp with the Indians, Flaherty decided to exercise his opt-out and hit the open market in search of another big-league opportunity. The utility man hit .243/.333/.459 with two homers, eight RBI and a 5:7 BB:K through 17 spring games.
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Indians' Ryan Flaherty: Inks NRI deal with Cleveland
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Flaherty agreed to a minor-league contract with the Indians on Thursday that includes an invitation to spring training, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
The veteran utility man spent 2018 with the Braves' organization, slashing .217/.298/.292 with two home runs, 13 RBI and four stolen bases. Flaherty also has major-league experience at each defensive position beside pitcher, catcher and center field, which puts him in the thick of the competition for a reserve role with Cleveland if he can perform well in spring training.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Returns to big club
Rotowire
The Braves selected Flaherty's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.
Flaherty looked like he wouldn't be in line to join the Braves in September after being designated for assignment last month, but a spot with the big club opened up for him after outfielder Michael Reed (back) was placed on the 60-day disabled list. The 32-year-old will give the Braves a depth option that can be plugged in all over the infield, but he won't be in store for frequent at-bats unless the team loses multiple key regulars to injury.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Reports to Triple-A
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Flaherty cleared waivers and was sent to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday, David O'Brien of The Athletic Atlanta reports.
Flaherty hit just .222/.298/.301 across 76 games with the Braves before being designated for assignment earlier in the week. The 32-year-old will serve as organizational infield depth for Atlanta after passing through waivers unclaimed.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Designated for assignment
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Flaherty was designated for assignment prior to Monday's game against Pittsburgh.
Flaherty was cast off the 40-man roster in order to make room for Bryse Wilson, whose contract was purchased from Triple-A Gwinnett ahead of Monday's start. Dating back to the beginning of June, Flaherty has gone just 3-for-40 while serving in a minimized role. He will now take a spin through waivers to determine where he'll end up next.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Remains stuck on bench
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Flaherty went 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in Sunday's loss to the Brewers.
The veteran utility man hasn't started a game since June 23, and Flaherty's primary use to the Braves these days is as a bat off the bench. The emergence of Johan Camargo as the starting third baseman, as well as Charlie Culberson's solid numbers in left field, have cut off Flaherty's avenues to even semi-consistent playing time, and his .250/.331/.338 slash line on the season doesn't make a strong case to change that.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Role on the decline
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Flaherty is out of the lineup Sunday against the Red Sox.
As of mid-May, Flaherty had been seeing regular action at third base as part of a platoon with Jose Bautista, but the recent return of Dansby Swanson from the disabled list has allowed Johan Camargo to shift over to the hot corner on an everyday basis. Bautista has since been released, so Flaherty appears poised to serve as the Braves' top utility man, a role that will probably only afford him a start or two per week.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Returns to bench against lefty
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Flaherty is not in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cubs.
Flaherty will again head to the bench with left-hander Jon Lester taking the mound for the Cubs on Thursday. Jose Bautista will start at third and bat seventh for the Braves in the series finale.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Sits again Tuesday
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Flaherty is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Cubs.
Since Jose Bautista was promoted on May 4, he had started against every lefty, while Flaherty got the start against all but one righty. Tuesday's game comes against the right-handed Yu Darvish, which may be a sign that Bautista is beginning to carve out a bigger role, though he's still hitting just .172.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Heads to bench against lefty
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Flaherty is not in the lineup Monday against the Cubs.
As expected, Flaherty will head to the bench for Monday's series opener against the Cubs with a left-hander (Jose Quintana) toeing the rubber for the opposition. Jose Bautista will take over at third base and bat seventh in his stead. Look for Flaherty, who is hitting .309/.404/.426 through 109 plate appearances this season, to rejoin the starting lineup Tuesday with right-hander Yu Darvish (illness) expected to start.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Expected to start against righties
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Flaherty will likely draw starts against right-handed pitching, Mark Bowman of MLB.com reports.
Flaherty hasn't been in the lineup since Jose Bautista was added to the major-league roster, but that is likely due to the Braves facing southpaws in five of the six games since Bautista's addition. It is believed Atlanta will implement a platoon situation, with Flaherty being penciled in primarily against right-handed pitching. The 31-year-old will start Friday and bat eighth against righty Dan Straily, and he will likely start again Sunday when the Braves face the right-handed Jose Urena. Flaherty has a .321 average and a .872 OPS in 81 at-bats against right-handed pitching in 2018.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Out of Friday's lineup
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Flaherty is not in the lineup against the Giants on Friday.
Flaherty will remain on the bench for Friday's series opener while the recently promoted Jose Bautista gets the start at third base. It appears as though Bautista will take over the role of primary third baseman, which will force Flaherty into a reserve role moving forward. If that becomes the case, Flaherty will likely pick up a few starts against right-handers every now and then, but his fantasy impact will take an obvious hit.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Not in Thursday's lineup
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Flaherty is out of the lineup against the Mets on Thursday.
With southpaw Jason Vargas on the mound for New York, Flaherty will receive a standard day off in favor of Charlie Culberson. Flaherty has continued to find his way on base after a hot start to the season, as he's now slashing .310/.406/.437 with two home runs, nine RBI and three stolen bases.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Out of lineup Wednesday
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Flaherty is not in the lineup against the Reds on Wednesday.
Flaherty will sit after going 0-for-9 with five strikeouts over the past two games. Johan Camargo will start at third base and bat fifth in the order in his absence. Over 20 games this season, Flaherty is hitting .313/.418/.433 with eight RBI and three stolen bases. Despite Flaherty's overall success early on, the Braves are expected to give Jose Bautista a look at the hot corner in the near future.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Not starting Saturday
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Flaherty is not in the lineup Saturday against the Mets.
Flaherty was the primary third baseman while Johan Camargo was on the disabled list, but his bat has been so hot (.362/.464/.500 through 69 plate appearances) that he remained the starter for the first three games after Camargo returned. Camargo will start at third base Saturday. Flaherty has never performed anywhere near this level in his seven-year major-league career, as his career line stands at .223/.294/.362, so it's unclear how much longer he'll be able to hold down a regular spot in the lineup.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: On base three times Friday
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Flaherty went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a stolen base in Friday's extra-inning loss to the Mets.
The veteran utility player's hot streak continues to keep Johan Camargo on the bench, as Flaherty now has a ridiculous .362/.464/.500 slash line through 69 plate appearances. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the 31-year-old's production has been his willingness to run -- Flaherty's three steals are already a new personal best in the majors and account for one-third of his career total. His .444 BABIP and career .655 OPS are obvious signs that major regression is ahead, but that shouldn't stop fantasy GMs from wringing every ounce of value out of Flaherty while he has some.
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Braves' Ryan Flaherty: Knocks in four against Phillies
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Flaherty homered and drove in four runs in a 2-for-4 game Wednesday against Philadelphia.
Flaherty hadn't mustered an extra-base hit since April 4 against Washington, an eight-game stretch. But he found his power in a big way Wednesday, as his three-run home run gave Atlanta a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Flaherty is enjoying a brilliant .365/.450/.500 batting line thus far and is making a great case for full-time at-bats at third base, though it's worth noting Johan Camargo -- who's returned this week from an oblique injury -- could clog up the playing time amid the infield group.
