Braves sign 2021 playoff hero Eddie Rosario to minor league contract

The Braves declined Rosario’s $9 million option last season and acquired Jarred Kelenic a few weeks later. Midway through the season, Rosario became available to the Braves.

On Monday, the Nationals designated Rosario as a free agent. On Wednesday, they released him.

Now the Braves will give him a chance and see if he has anything left in his bat — the one that helped him hoist a banner three seasons ago.

Rosario, of course, was a hero in the 2021 World Series. He was voted NLCS MVP for his monstrous performance against the Dodgers.

He may be a long way from that era. Maybe the Braves can help him get something back, but his recent stats aren’t great.

He hit .183 in 219 at-bats with the Nationals before they released him. He hit seven home runs and drove in 26 runs.

Snitker said Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos reached out to Rosario when the club signed him. Snitker learned Rosario hadn’t played in the outfield since June 5, before the Braves’ series at Washington.

“(Anthopoulos) just told him to go play,” Snitker said. “We’ll see what happens.”

It’s possible Rosario could be with the Braves soon if all goes well. Ramon Laureano is dealing with an oblique issue and hasn’t played since June 26. If the Braves placed him on injured reserve, they could bring in Rosario without sending anyone to back up.

In 478 at-bats with the Braves last season, Rosario hit .255 with a .755 OPS. He hit 21 home runs. That came after his rough 2022 season, in which he required eye surgery and never found his groove.

But the bar may not be too high for Rosario. If he can get his bat working in Gwinnett, he could soon be in the big league locker room.

The Braves have struggled to find productivity at the plate from their outfielders in recent weeks. They are without Ronald Acuña Jr., who is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his left knee. Michael Harris II is currently on injured reserve with a hamstring strain. Kelenic has recently found his groove, but Adam Duvall has been underwhelming.

The Braves are trying to find a player who fits them. On Friday, they released Forrest Wall, who had started games in left field, to their opponent and brought in Eli White.

Additionally, Laureano, who had a few solid at-bats after being promoted by the Braves, is out with an oblique issue that started as a sore back. The Braves are still short a man because he can’t play.

All of which is to say that if the Braves were to bring in Rosario, he wouldn’t need to be a big hitter. He would just need to be better than what they’ve been putting out there lately.

In the spring, the Nationals signed Rosario to a minor league contract that included a $2 million base salary. The Nationals owe Rosario his salary. If the Braves were to bring in Rosario, they would only pay him a prorated version of the major league minimum salary. So there was no real risk to the team in this move.

But it could be a big boon to the Braves, who need help on the field.