Atlanta Braves designate Joey Wendle for assignment 3 days after signing him

The Atlanta Braves have designated veteran infielder Joey Wendle for assignment, the team announced Monday.

The move was made as part of a major roster shakeup that sent reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. to the 10-day injured list with a torn left ACL. Atlanta called up JP Martínez to take Acuña’s place on the outfield depth chart, while also reinstating All-Star catcher Sean Murphy from the injured list.

That left no room for Wendle on the 40-man roster. As a result, he was ejected before appearing in a game for the Braves.

Atlanta signed Wendle to a one-year contract on Friday, just days after he was released by the division rival New York Mets. New York designated Wendle for assignment on May 15.

Wendle was hitting .222 with a double, an RBI, a stolen base, a .493 OPS and a -0.1 WAR this season, earning only 10 starts in 18 appearances.

The Mets signed Wendle to a one-year, $2 million contract in November.

Before landing in Queens, Wendle enjoyed a moderately successful career elsewhere.

The Oakland Athletics traded Wendle to the Tampa Bay Rays in December 2017. He immediately became an everyday player for the Rays, hitting .300 with a .789 OPS and 4.9 WAR, which helped him to placing fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

Wendle missed half of 2019 with hamstring and wrist injuries, then put up solid numbers again in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The utility infielder took a big step forward in 2021, making his first All-Star Game and posting a 3.6 WAR.

In November 2021, the Rays traded Wendle to the Miami Marlins. Wendle accumulated a 2.4 WAR in just 101 appearances in 2022, but he saw his WAR drop to -0.2 in 112 games the following year.

Wendle looked more like his 2023 self than his 2018, 2021 or 2022 self at the start of 2024, which explains why he fell out of favor with the Mets and why the Braves hardly gave him a chance. Now, the 34-year-old will either have to go on waivers, accept a minor league assignment, or re-enter free agency.

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