Higginbotham, Woods promoted to M-Braves from High-A Rome on Saturday

PHOTO BY Nathan Ray Seebeck

CHATTANOOGA, TN - The Mississippi Braves have announced the following roster moves before Saturday's game with the Chattanooga Lookouts at AT&T Field. RHP William Woods and LHP Jake Higginbotham have been promoted to Mississippi from High-A Rome. RHP Tyler Ferguson has been placed on the Temporary Inactive List, and RHP Emmanuel Ramirez was transferred to High-A Rome. Woods will start tonight for the M-Braves

Woods, 22, made his season debut on August 19 for the FCL Braves, logging 1.0 inning of work, no runs, one hit, one strikeout. The Trenton, TN native was promoted to High-A Rome on September 1, and made four starts for the R-Braves, going 0-1 with a 4.66 ERA, five earned runs, four walks, seven strikeouts over 9.2 innings. Woods appeared in four games for the Braves during 2021 Spring Training, posting a 9.00 ERA, four runs on six hits, with no walks, seven strikeouts, and four home runs allowed.

After flashing a 100 mph fastball in the spring of 2020, Woods was added to the club’s player pool on September 8. He spent the rest of the season at the alternate training site in Gwinnett. The Atlanta Braves drafted Woods in the 23rd round in 2018 out of Dyersburg State CC (TN).

Higginbotham, 25, began the 2021 season with the M-Braves, making one appearance on May 7, striking out three over 2.0 shutout innings against Pensacola. The Buford, GA native, was on the Injured List from May 11 to August 17 when he began a rehab assignment with the FCL Braves. After a pair of scoreless outings for the FCL Braves, Higginbotham was transferred to Rome and made six scoreless relief appearances, striking out 11, walking just one over 7.1 innings of one-hit baseball.

Higginbotham attended Buford High School, just 6.9 miles from Coolray Field, the home of the Gwinnett Stripers, then on to Clemson. The Atlanta Braves drafted him in the 11th round in 2008.

Click HERE to view a PDF copy of the Mississippi Braves new roster.