The Atlanta Braves made a move.
The Atlanta Braves moved to address their organizational depth late on Saturday night. Atlanta has plenty of coverage at first base with Matt Olson, who has not missed a single game across five seasons with the organization, making him one of the more durable players in the league.
The Braves also have designated hitter covered with Dominic Smith and Drake Baldwin splitting time at the position when Baldwin is not catching, and Sean Murphy is working his way back from a finger injury and will likely log some starts there as well. Still, Atlanta wants to be covered, and that is why they decided to add a veteran name to the mix.
"Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a minor league contract, sources tell ESPN. Santana, 40, will head to Triple-A, where he provides insurance for Atlanta and can try to get back to the big leagues after being released by Arizona," reported Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Santana earns this new opportunity after a failed stint with the Diamondbacks. Arizona signed him to a $2 million deal this past offseason, but he was released Friday after just 24 at-bats. He collected two hits and struck out eight times, making it an easy decision for the Diamondbacks to move on.
Now the Braves will attempt to revitalize the last chapter of Santana's career as he looks for one more chance at the big-league level. He has played for nine teams across his 17-year career, and if Atlanta calls him up it would mark his tenth organization.
There are obstacles in his way, though. The Braves have plenty of options ahead of him on the depth chart, and his recent production at the big-league level has not been encouraging. Still, it does not hurt for Atlanta to take a chance, especially given how many injuries they have dealt with this season.
Santana was a solid bat as recently as 2024 during his time with the Minnesota Twins, posting a .238 batting average, .328 on-base percentage and .749 OPS across 150 games. However, he is now 40 years old and time may finally be catching up to him.
He remains a switch-hitter, which adds value if he ever does make it back as a bench option for the Braves. For a team with World Series aspirations, adding a proven veteran presence in Triple-A at no real cost is a low-risk move with at least some potential upside.
