The Atlanta Braves will give it another go with Eddie Rosario. Rosario, who spent the last few weeks in the Dodgers organization, is headed back to Atlanta to help bolster the team’s corner outfield. Which, has been a problem thus far.
A Look at Rosario
After two MLB games with the Dodgers, in which he hit .250 (1-4), Eddie Rosario landed back in Atlanta.
Before his very short stint in LA, Rosario had been playing with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate before being DFA’d and elected free agency on the 25th. The 33-year-old batted .339/406/.542 (.948 OPS) with two home runs and eight extra-base hits over 14 games. But also, 16 strikeouts with Oklahoma City.
It markes Rosario’s third stint with the team, after he spent time with Atlanta in 2021-23 and again in 2024. The 33-year-old’s first run in Atlanta was marked by key contributions during their World Series run in 2021, vision problems in 2022, then a resurgance with the Braves again in 2023.
Rosario signed with the Nationals in March 2024 but only posted a .555 OPS before Washington cut him. He then had brief stints with Atlanta and the Mets’ farm system.
Like before, Rosario hasn’t changed his game much over the years. Last season at the MLB level, he remained an aggressive hitter who will habitually chase out of the zone. Throughout the years, he’s gotten rewarded for it with low whiff rates between 2019-22.
And despite a relatively short, yet hitchy swing, Rosario has never excelled at being a prolific hitter against fasballs. He can catch up to velocity but struggles against premium velocity (>= 95 MPH). Just two years ago, 3.2% of the pitches he saw in 2023 resulted in whiffs on fastballs of that variety, a rate that ranked 10th-highest among his peers (min. 1,800 pitches seen).
Rosario’s at his best when staying back and hitting breaking balls and offspeed.
The Braves signed Eddie Rosario to a MLB deal and optioned Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A.
Analysis
With Jurickson Profar (suspension) and Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) still out, the Braves continue to look for answers on the corners.
Bryan De La Cruz had just nine hits over his first 16 games as a Brave with one extra-base hit. He’s since been demoted. Alex Verdugo has been a good fit after he signed a few weeks ago, as he notched five extra-base hits over his first eight games. But, the Braves need more.
For the Braves, a team that knows Rosario’s offensive and defensive limitations well, it’s a calculated risk.
The other subplot in this move is Kelenic, who had his last option burned on the 28th. Atlanta can shuffle him back & forth Triple-A and the Majors this season but must make a decision on his future soon. That, however, will be firmly left up to him.
Kelenic made notable swing tweaks two years ago but has just be in between all year from a numbers standpoint. The 25-year-old has 40%+ Whiff% rates on both fastballs and breaking balls this season, as teams have been throwing him more velocity since his mini-resurgance in 2023.
The result thus far? A lot of weakly hit contact, a combination of him opening too early — not a shock, given the high overall Whiff% and GB% — as well as getting too much on top of and getting worked on sinkers, breaking balls, changeups, etc.
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