The Atlanta Braves have officially completed Step 1 in their “Recreate 2021 Plan.”
On Monday, the team announced they selected the contract of outfielder Eddie Rosario to the major league roster. The team also recalled right-handed pitcher Bryce Elder in a massive roster swap that saw outfielder Luke Williams and left-handed pitcher Dylan Lee get optioned to Triple-A. Outfielder J.P. Martinez was designated for assignment.
The #Braves today recalled RH Bryce Elder to Atlanta and he will start tonight’s game at Arizona. The club also selected OF Eddie Rosario to the major league roster, and optioned LH Dylan Lee and OF Luke Williams to Triple-A Gwinnett. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta…
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 8, 2024
Rosario signed a minor league deal with the Braves late last week, and is now being called up for his second stint with the team.
Read more: Braves Bring Back Former Postseason Hero in Outfield
The 32-year-old was acquired by the Braves at the 2021 trade deadline after superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. went down with a season-ending torn ACL. Rosario was acquired along with cash from Cleveland for Pablo Sandoval that year, one of four additions the Braves made as they revamped the outfield ahead of a postseason run.
The team also added Adam Duvall from the Miami Marlins, Joc Pederson from the Chicago Cubs, and Jorge Soler from the Kansas City Royals. The moves couldn’t have worked out any better; Atlanta claimed the championship as Rosario and Pederson played pivotal roles in Oct. 2021.
Now, Rosario and Duvall are teammates again in Atlanta as the Braves yet again look to revamp their roster in the wake of an Acuña torn ACL. Rosario was designated for assignment by the Washington Nationals on July 1 and shortly after signed a minor league contract with the Braves. Now, he’s joining the big league roster.
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Rosario is in the midst of his worst year as a pro, as he slashed .183/.226/.329 with seven home runs, 26 RBIs, and an OPS of .555. However, the Braves are hoping a change of scenery gets Rosario back on track. In three games at Triple-A for the Braves, Rosario went 3-for-11 (.273) with a home run and an OPS of 1.061.
Rosario’s MLB career began in 2015 with the Minnesota Twins. He spent half of the 2021 season with Cleveland prior to the trade to Atlanta. This past offseason, he signed with the Nationals on a one-year deal.
Across his 10-year career, Rosario is slashing .264/.301/.453 with 166 home runs and 574 runs batted in. He has a career OPS of .754 and a career OPS+ of 102.
The highlight of Rosario’s career came in the 2021 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he slashed .560/.607/1.040 with three home runs and an OPS of 1.647 in six games. He won the 2021 NLCS Most Valuable Player award.
Rosario will look to regain some of that magic for a Braves team that has been searching for consistent outfield help since Acuña went down with the ACL tear on May 26. Since then, Braves outfielders are hitting just .222 with a wRC+ of 77 and a 0.0 fWAR, which ranks 28th in all of Major League Baseball, only ahead of the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels.
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