The Atlanta Braves selected the contract of left-hander Jerry Blevins on Saturday and granted fellow left-hander Jonny Venters his unconditional release.
Blevins, 35, signed a big league contract with the Braves less than a week after he was designated for assignment by the team. He is 0-0 with a 10.80 ERA (four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings) this season, which is his 13th in the majors.
The return of Blevins coincided with the departure of Venters, 34, who struggled badly in his fifth season with the Braves. He was 0-0 with a 17.36 ERA after giving up 13 runs (nine earned) in only 4 2/3 innings.
All told, Venters went 19-11 with a 2.62 ERA in 267 games with Atlanta. He posted a remarkable 1.84 ERA in a league-leading 85 appearances in 2011.
Blevins is 29-13 with a 3.57 ERA in 570 career games (one start). He also has pitched for the Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals and New York Mets.
The Dayton alum has pitched seven scoreless innings in the postseason. He did not allow a run in 3 2/3 playoff innings with Oakland in 2012, and he pitched 3 1/3 flawless innings for Washington in 2014.