The surprise acceptance of arbitration by relief pitcher Rafael Soriano forced the Atlanta Braves to designate outfielder  Ryan Church for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster.  The Braves have 10 days to trade, release or outright Church to the minors.

The Braves acquired Church when they traded outfielder Jeff Francoeur to the Mets last July.  In 111 games in 2009 with the Braves and Mets, Church hit 4 home runs with 40 RBI’s with a .273 batting average.

Soriano is expected to make $6.1-7 million through arbitration.