Braves bring familiar face back to field as trade deadline approaches

The Atlanta Braves have officially completed Phase 1 of their “Plan Recreate 2021.”

On Monday, the team announced it had retained outfielder Eddie Rosario to join the major league roster. The team also recalled right-handed pitcher Bryce Elder in a massive trade that sent outfielder Luke Williams and left-handed pitcher Dylan Lee to Triple-A. Outfielder JP Martinez was designated for assignment.

Rosario signed a minor league contract with the Braves last week and is now being called up for his second stint with the team.

Learn more: Braves bring back former postseason hero in outfield

The 32-year-old was acquired by the Braves at the 2021 trade deadline after star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered 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 retooled the outfield ahead of a playoff run.

The team also signed Adam Duvall from the Miami Marlins, Joc Pederson from the Chicago Cubs and Jorge Soler from the Kansas City Royals. Those trades couldn’t have worked out better; Atlanta won the championship as Rosario and Pederson played key roles in October 2021.

Today, Rosario and Duvall are teammates again in Atlanta as the Braves look to retool their roster once again following Acuña’s torn ACL. Rosario was designated for assignment by the Washington Nationals on July 1 and shortly thereafter signed a minor league contract with the Braves. He now joins the major league roster.

Rosario is in the midst of his worst year as a professional, hitting .183/.226/.329 with seven homers, 26 RBIs and a .555 OPS. However, the Braves are hoping a change of scenery will get Rosario back on track. In three games in Triple-A for the Braves, Rosario went 3-for-11 (.273) with a homer and a 1.061 OPS.

Rosario’s MLB career began in 2015 with the Minnesota Twins. He spent half of the 2021 season with Cleveland before being traded to Atlanta. Last offseason, he signed with the Nationals on a one-year deal.

Over his 10-year career, Rosario is hitting .264/.301/.453 with 166 home runs and 574 RBIs. He has a career OPS of .754 and a career OPS+ of 102.

Rosario’s career highlight came in the 2021 National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he hit .560/.607/1.040 with three home runs and a 1.647 OPS in six games. He won the 2021 NLCS Most Valuable Player Award.

Rosario will look to recapture some of that magic for a Braves team that has been looking for consistent outfield help since Acuña was injured with a torn ACL on May 26. Since then, Braves outfielders are hitting just .222 with a 77 wRC+ and 0.0 fWAR, which ranks 28th in Major League Baseball, just ahead of the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels.

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