Amidst injury concerns, the Braves sign a former All-Star.
By adding a previous three-time All-Star to their positional depth, the Atlanta Braves are attempting to improve their injury situation.
Multiple reports state that veteran utility guy Whit Merrifield is signing a contract with the Braves. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Merrifield signed a major league contract to play for the Braves.
Merrifield hasn’t played well this season, but the Braves really need the assistance. They lost badly again over the weekend, and they will be without Ronald Acuna Jr. for the remainder of the season. Merrifield will likely see a lot of playing time simply because the Braves are currently lean.
Merrifield’s offseason acquisition by the Phillies was heralded, but It just did not work out for them to move. He was hitting just.199 this season with a.572 OPS at the time of his release. The Braves are hoping he can regain even a small portion of his previous form because he was an All-Star as recently as last year.
Passan Jeff (@JeffPassan)
According to sources close to ESPN, superutilityman Whit Merrifield and the Atlanta Braves have reached a major league agreement. Philadelphia recently released Merrifield. He will report to the Braves today and contribute to the depth that was lost when All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies was injured.
