Braves make curious roster move to bolster outfield by bringing back an old friend

It seemed inevitable once the Atlanta Braves signed Eddie Rosario to a minor league deal shortly after the outfielder was released by the Washington Nationals. However, it's now official as the 2021 NLCS MVP is back with the big league club.

Rosario wasn't the only surprise move announced as the Braves recalled Bryce Elder to start Monday's series opener in Phoenix. To make room for both players on the 26-man roster, Atlanta optioned Dylan Lee and Luke Williams to the Gwinnett Stripers. Additionally, to make room for Rosario on the 40-man roster the club designated OF J.P. Martinez for assignment.

Elder has pitched mostly at Triple-A Gwinnett this season but has made a few spot starts for the Braves. His last MLB start came against the Cardinals and he looked more like his All-Star self. He completed six innings with two runs on four hits including no walks and four strikeouts. This sets up 2024 All-Star Chris Sale to pitch game two of the series against Zac Gallen.

Can Eddie Rosario fix the Braves outfield problems?

Rosario had a terrible tenure with the Washington Nationals, a stint that included a NL Player of the Week nod.

In 67 games, the outfielder slashed .183/.226/.329 (54 wRC+) and was worth -1.2 fWAR. He hit seven homers and stole eight bases for the NL East rival, but was awful at everything else.

The one bright spot of the season came in May when Rosario had a 137 wRC+ for the Nationals. Braves fans have seen the lefty's streakiness in the past, and hope that this version of Rosario can exist for the remainder of the season.

The Braves hope to unlock some of the 2021 magic, or at least see a return to his 2023 form, where he was exactly league-average as a hitter.

Since Ronald Acuña Jr. went down with his season-ending ACL injury, the corner outfield spots have struggled. Braves right fielders have a 46 wRC+ and a -0.6 fWAR, the fifth worst in baseball during this stretch.

Left field has been slightly better, with an 81 wRC+ and 0.0 fWAR, although this is still ninth worst among MLB left fielders.

By adding Rosario into the fold, the Braves hope to give themselves some pop from the left side. Atlanta has experimented with lefty swingers Forrest Wall and J.P. Martinez in left field but both struggled with the bat (although it's notable that Wall, even with a paltry 63 wRC+, has a better wRC+ than Rosario by nine points. With Michael Harris II out, the Braves' only other full-time lefty has been Matt Olson.

If Rosario is able to hit more like he did in 2023 than he has in 2024, he might just be good enough to mend some of the Braves outfield problems. If he doesn't, Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves front office still have enough time to find a better option.

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