Atlanta Braves sign former White Sox prospect on minor league deal
The Braves have made a minor league depth move via free agency.
According to the club's transactions log, the Atlanta Braves have recently made a free agent move to add to their minor league depth in the organization by signing Yolbert Sanchez to a minor league deal.
Sanchez comes to Atlanta having spent every season of his minor league career up to this point with the Chicago White Sox organization.
Atlanta Braves sign free agent infielder Yolbert Sanchez
Sanchez was a former international free agent signing by the White Sox in July of 2019 out of Cuba, and quickly had a solid first season that summer with the DOSL White Sox by posting a .827 OPS across 29 games as a 22-year-old. However, Sanchez would be limited to instructional league action the next year due to no 2020 minor league season, meaning that he would not return to the field until 2021.
In 2021, Sanchez was ranked as the White Sox's No. 23 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline and would enjoy a solid season split between the High-A and Double-A levels as a 24-year-old, as he slashed a combined .308/.352/.419 with nine HR, 42 RBI, and five SB across 101 games. Sanchez would also play in the Arizona Fall League at season's end and continued that success by going 14-for-35 with eight RBI across 12 games.
The infielder would rise to become Chicago's No. 15 prospect in 2022 according to MLB Pipeline, with Sanchez going on to slash a combined .287/.346/.344 with three HR, 46 RBI, and 11 SB across 127 games, a vast majority of which came in Triple-A.
Sanchez would however fall out of Chicago's Top 30 this past season, as the now 26-year-old would slash .271/.321/.333 with three HR, 40 RBI, and six SB across 108 games with Triple-A Charlotte.
He was released by the ChiSox in September 2023 despite showing so much promise early on. He will hope to regain that promise with the Braves.
Looking ahead, Sanchez will help provide middle infield depth in the organization and is a name to watch when it comes to a potential MLB call-up at some point in the near future. To begin the 2024 season, however, Sanchez will start in Triple-A, as he was recently assigned to the Gwinnett Stripers.