ATLANTA (AP) - The Atlanta Braves acquired first baseman Daryle Ward from the Washington Nationals for a minor league pitcher late Thursday night.
Ward, who was hitting .311 with six homers, will serve as a left-handed pinch-hitter.
"He's one of the real accomplished pinch-hitters in the game right now," said Braves general manager John Schuerholz. "Our bench was made stronger."
The Braves sent right-handed pitcher Luis Atilano, who had Tommy John surgery this year, to the Nationals.
Atilano was a first-round pick in the 2003 June draft. He tied for eighth among Braves minor league pitchers with eight wins in 2005, when he was named to the Southern League all-star team.
Atilano has been rehabbing at the Braves' facility in Orlando.
The 31-year-old Ward is expected to join the Braves in Philadelphia on Friday.