Michael Harris Is Better Than Ever
Braves outfielder Michael Harris II picked up four hits on Friday against the Dodgers, pushing his batting average back over .300. The 25-year-old has a career-best 139 wRC+ through 38 games. Harris, already in his fifth big-league season, seems to be making good on the prospect pedigree that had him atop Atlanta’s system before his 2022 debut.
Harris was just 21 years old when he was handed the Braves’ everyday center fielder gig. He performed well in his first taste of the majors, slashing .297/.339/.514 across 441 plate appearances. He fell just one homer shy of a 20/20 campaign. Harris earned NL Rookie of the Year honors, beating out teammate Spencer Strider.
Atlanta signed Harris to an eight-year, $72MM extension in August of that first season. It looked like a good bit of business for both sides. Harris secured a significant payday after just four months as a big leaguer. The Braves locked down a promising young outfielder for the rest of the decade. With Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies also signed to relatively inexpensive long-term deals, the organization had its core in place for the foreseeable future.
Harris took a slight step back in the power department in 2023, but was still 16% better than league average at the plate. He improved his strikeout rate to 18.7%, down from 24.3% as a rookie. Harris regressed again in 2024. His wRC+ slipped below 100 for the first time. After two years hitting above .290, Harris hit .264 in 110 games. He missed a significant chunk of the year with a hamstring injury.
The 2025 campaign was a bounce-back from a health perspective. Harris played a career-high 160 games. The volume helped him finally reach his first 20/20 season. The rate stats were concerning, though. Harris slashed .249/.268/.409 across 641 plate appearances. His walk rate, already among the lowest in the league, fell to 2.5%. Harris chased pitches out of the strike zone more than ever.
The game plan against Harris was pretty clear last year. Pitchers attacked him with four-seamers and sinkers. Harris hammered fastballs as a rookie, but began to struggle against the heat. He posted a career-worst -4 Run Value vs. four-seamers in 2025. Sinkers were an even bigger issue. No hitter performed worse on any pitch than Harris against sinkers, with a league-low -17 Run Value. It was the worst mark since Tigers infielder Jonathan Schoop posted a -18 Run Value against four-seamers in 2022. Unsurprisingly, Harris saw sinkers at a career-high 20.9% clip.
Getting exploited by fastballs is a big problem at the highest level. It can be a career-ending flaw. Harris was on the verge of being a glove-only asset stuck at the bottom of the lineup. He seems to have solved his fastball issues in 2026. He’s hitting .318 against sinkers this season. He’s also obliterating four-seamers, with a .700 SLG and a silly 70.6% hard-hit rate. Harris is doing damage like never before, regardless of pitch type. He ranks in the 99th percentile in hard-hit rate and average exit velocity. Harris has a robust .326 xBA and a hefty .614 xSLG.
Harris has made subtle tweaks to his stance and setup. He’s moved up in the box and closer to the plate. His feet are a couple of inches further apart than last year. He’s also opened his stance by seven degrees compared to 2025. The adjustments, combined with career highs in bat speed (75.1 mph) and fast swing rate (51.4%), have produced a massive 16.5% barrel rate and a career-best 19.2% pulled air rate.
There are still some process flaws here. Harris is once again chasing more than ever. He’s offering at 43.1% of pitches outside of the strike zone, the eighth-highest mark among qualified hitters. Harris’ 51% groundball rate is his highest since 2022. And while he’s hit safely at a solid rate against sinkers, it’s been strictly singles. Those are more nitpicks than major concerns, though.
The quad injury has sapped Harris’ speed, which might cost him a shot at another 20/20 season, but the power looks legit. Health permitting, he should cruise past his career high of 20 home runs. The adjustments he’s made this year suggest he’s back to being an offensive force in a lineup that looks like one of the best in baseball.
Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images
Sean Murphy To Miss Eight Weeks With Finger Fracture
3:35pm: Murphy will miss at least eight weeks due to his fracture, Weiss tells Jesús Cano of The Athletic.
12:08pm: The Braves announced that catcher Sean Murphy has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 11th, with a fractured left middle finger. Fellow catcher Sandy León was signed to a big league deal to replace Murphy on the roster. The club also selected the contract of outfielder José Azócar and optioned infielder Jim Jarvis. They had two 40-man vacancies, which have now been filled by these moves.
Murphy’s injury appears to stem from a catcher’s interference plan in Sunday’s game. Hyeseong Kim swung at a pitch and made contact with Murphy’s glove, as seen in this video from MLB.com. After the game, manager Walt Weiss told Mark Bowman of MLB.com that Murphy would be going for X-rays but would probably be fine. It now seems that a fracture has been discovered, so Murphy will head to the IL.
It’s unclear how long Murphy will be out of action but it’s a frustrating setback nonetheless. Injuries have been a recurring theme for him in recent seasons. He was limited to fewer than 95 games in both 2024 and 2025 due to various ailments. One persistent issue has been hip problems, which eventually led to surgery in September of last year. He was rehabbing from that surgery until about a week ago. Now after just four games, he’s back on the shelf.
While Murphy was on the IL earlier, Atlanta used a catching tandem of Drake Baldwin and Jonah Heim. When Murphy was reinstated earlier this month, Heim was designated for assignment and then traded to the Athletics. Atlanta still has Baldwin but now has no Heim and will be without Murphy for a while, so they had to get a bit creative in finding a new backup.
León, 37, is a glove-first veteran journeyman. He began this year with Triple-A Gwinnett but slashed .118/.268/.118 in ten games and was released. He then signed with the Saraperos de Saltillo in the Mexican League. He got into ten games for that club, hitting .143/.273/.143, before Atlanta came calling again.
It’s not likely that León will provide much with the bat. He has a career line of .207/.275/.311. From 2017 to the present, it’s an even slimmer .187/.256/.289 line. But he has nonetheless been able to carve out a lengthy career due to his strong reputation when it comes to the other facets of being a catcher, namely his defense.
He’ll back up Baldwin while Murphy is on the shelf. The club also has Jair Camargo and Chadwick Tromp in the system on minor league deals. They may keep their eyes out for external options. For instance, Austin Wynns was designated for assignment by the A’s last week and is still in DFA limbo.
Azócar, 30, was added to the roster for a few days earlier this month. Atlanta bumped him off when they called up Jarvis about a week ago. Azócar cleared waivers but quickly returned to the club on a new minor league deal and is now back on the big league roster. Since Jarvis is being sent out, it’s effectively a reversal of the transaction from last week.
Presumably, that quick change is due to developments elsewhere in the position player mix. Yesterday, the club reinstated infielder Ha-Seong Kim from the IL. In a corresponding move, outfielder Eli White hit the concussion IL. Kim’s return meant that they effectively had three bench infielders in Jorge Mateo, Kyle Farmer and Jarvis. Meanwhile, White’s IL placement left them shorthanded in the outfield.
Azócar has only hit .243/.288/.318 in his career but is a strong defender and baserunner. With Ronald Acuña Jr. on the IL, Atlanta should have a regular outfield of Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Harris II and Mauricio Dubón, with Azócar backing up that group. Azócar is out of options, which could potentially lead to him being designated for assignment again when guys come off the IL.
Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images
Braves, Jose Azocar Agree To Minor League Deal
The Braves and outfielder Jose Azocar are reuniting on a new minor league deal, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. He’d previously been designated for assignment by Atlanta and briefly elected free agency after clearing waivers.
Azocar, 30 today, went hitless in his only two plate appearances with Atlanta (and in his lone Braves plate appearance last season as well). He’s a career .243/.288/.318 hitter in 420 big league plate appearances. Azocar has swiped 20 bags and popped two homers in the majors. Most of his big league time has come with the Padres, though he also appeared in a dozen games with the Mets last year.
Azocar is out to a fine start in Triple-A this year. He’s taken 113 plate appearances with Atlanta’s Gwinnett affiliate and slashed .270/.348/.420 with a couple homers, eight steals, a 10.6% walk rate and a 16.8% strikeout rate. Those slash stats are near mirror images of Azocar’s career marks in Triple-A. He’s played parts of six seasons at the top minor league level and notched a .276/.321/.416 batting line in 1203 plate appearances.
While he’s never been a huge threat with the bat, Azocar possesses plus speed (88th percentile in 2025, per Statcast) and is a quality defender in all three outfield spots. He’s spent 459 big league innings in center, 370 in right and 238 in left. Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average both peg him as at least average in all three slots, with Azocar’s center field work standing as his most effective to date.
The Braves placed Eli White — another speedy, glove-first, righty-swinging outfielder — on the injured list earlier this morning. However, his IL placement coincided with Ha-Seong Kim‘s return from the injured list, which is going to mean less infield work for Mauricio Dubón and Jorge Mateo, both of whom can play the outfield. With that pair supporting the trio of Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr., there’s no need for another speed-and-defense outfielder on the bench. If the Braves incur more injuries in the outfield, however, Azocar could get another look, given that the Braves don’t have any minor league outfielders on the 40-man roster.
Braves Activate Ha-Seong Kim For Season Debut
The Braves announced this morning that shortstop Ha-Seong Kim has been activated from the injured list. He’s been out all season thus far after suffering a torn tendon in his hand when he fell on some ice in the offseason. Atlanta is off today, but Kim will make his 2026 debut in tomorrow’s game. Outfielder Eli White has been placed on the 7-day concussion list in a corresponding move. White made an outstanding catch to rob the Dodgers’ Max Muncy of a bases-clearing double yesterday but crashed face-first into the right field wall upon making the grab (video link).
The 30-year-old Kim is in his first full season with Atlanta. He finished the 2025 season in a Braves uniform after coming over via an August waiver claim out of the Rays organization. Kim hit .253/.316/.368 in 98 plate appearances down the stretch and did enough to convince the club’s front office to reinvest in a one-year, $20MM deal as a free agent this winter. Kim signed that deal in mid-December, reportedly spurning a four-year, $48MM offer from the A’s in order to bet on himself. He suffered the hand injury a month later.
Kim originally jumped from the Korea Baseball Organization to MLB on a four-year, $28MM deal with the Padres, spanning the 2021-24 seasons. He played all over the infield during his time in San Diego but was primarily a shortstop. Kim has plus speed, a strong glove and a roughly league-average bat. He slashed .242/.326/.380 in 540 games as a Padre (101 wRC+).
Kim’s high floor and solid-if-unspectacular performance in the batter’s box might have netted him a long-term deal in his first trip through free agency were it not for a late shoulder injury in 2024 that required surgery. He signed for two years and $29MM with the Rays but had an opt-out after year one. The Rays waived him in August in hopes of saving some cash, and Atlanta obliged, picking up the remaining $2MM or so on last year’s salary. They’d also have been on the hook for his 2026 salary had Kim forgone the opt-out. Instead, he triggered that clause, returned to free agency, and came out ahead with regard to that option. Clearly, based on the reported A’s offer, he had a good bit more earning power. However, if he has a strong five months to close out the year, he should be able to comfortably top that $28MM he left on the table.
Braves shortstops rank 21st in MLB with a .266/.305/.378 batting line and 92 wRC+ on the season. Nearly all that production has come from Jorge Mateo, but his .309/.345/.455 slash comes in spite of a 32.8% strikeout rate and has been propped up by a colossal .441 average on balls in play that he can’t sustain over a larger sample. Mauricio Dubón has slashed a sharp .271/.331/.410, but he’s struggled while playing shortstop and been more productive when he’s in the lineup as an outfielder. That likely comes down to pure happenstance, however.
Kim’s return will cut into the playing time for both Mateo and Dubón — the former in particular. Mateo hasn’t played anywhere on the field besides shortstop this season. Dubón has logged 134 innings in the outfield (64 in left, 70 in center), 205 at short and another six at the hot corner.
Bobby Cox Passes Away
The Braves announced that longtime manager Bobby Cox passed away at age 84. Cox led the Braves to the 1995 World Series title, and his 2504 wins rank fourth on the all-time list for managerial victories. As per the team’s official release to media….
“Bobby was a favorite among all in the baseball community, especially those who played for him. His wealth of knowledge on player development and the intricacies of managing the game were rewarded with the sport’s ultimate prize in 2014 – enshrinement into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
And while Bobby’s passion for the game was unparalleled, his love of baseball was exceeded only by his love for his family. It is with the heaviest of hearts that we send our sincerest condolences to his beloved wife, Pam, and their loving children and grandchildren.”
Before starting his journey to Cooperstown as a manager, Cox spent 12 seasons as a player, spending time in the farm systems of the Dodgers, Cubs, Yankees, and Braves. He broke into the majors for 220 games with the Yankees over the 1968-69 seasons, and the end of his playing career transitioned right into the start of his post-playing career — Cox appeared in four games with the Yankees’ A-ball affiliate in Fort Lauderdale in 1971 while also becoming the team’s manager. After six years of managing in the minors, Cox was the Yankees’ first base coach in 1977 when the team captured the World Series, earning Cox his first championship ring.
The Braves came calling with Cox’s first MLB managerial assignment, but Cox’s initial stint in Atlanta resulted in just one winning record over four seasons from 1978-81. Fired following the 1981 campaign, Cox landed in Toronto as the Blue Jays’ new manager, helping lead the recent expansion team to its first run of success. The peak was the AL East title in 1985, and yet after the Jays fell just shy of their first AL pennant, Cox opted to return to Atlanta, this time as the club’s general manager.
Cox’s five years as GM is an often overlooked chapter of his long tenure in Atlanta, in part because John Schuerholz took over following the 1990 season and was himself eventually elected to the Hall of Fame for his outstanding track record as an executive. But, while the Braves continued to sit below .500 during the 1986-90 seasons, Cox’s front office saw the team draft and acquire many of the players that would become franchise staples during the Braves’ forthcoming glory years.
Cox returned to the dugout partway through the 1990 season, and relinquished GM duties to Schuerholtz to focus solely on managing. With many of the pieces now in place, the Braves went from last place in the NL East in 1990 to NL champions in both 1991 and 1992.
As the media release simply put it, Cox’s “Braves managerial legacy will never be matched.” The 1991 campaign marked the beginning of 14 NL East titles over the next 15 seasons. The only interruption in this astonishing streak was the 1994 season, as the Braves were in second place behind the Expos when the players’ strike prematurely ended the season in August.
The World Series appearances in 91-92 were followed by three more pennants in 1995, 1996, and 1999. Championship glory came in 1995 when Atlanta outlasted Cleveland in six games, highlighted by a 1-0 win in the clinching Game Six that was powered by eight one-hit innings from Tom Glavine.
Atlanta’s NL East title streak finally ended in 2006 when the team went 79-83. Cox’s final five seasons as manager saw the Braves still post three winning records, and they made one final playoff appearance as a wild card team in 2010, falling in the NLDS to the eventual world champion Giants. Cox announced prior to the season that 2010 would be his final year in the dugout, and he remained involved with the Braves in an official and unofficial advisory role for years before health issues arose in the later years of his life.
Beyond his 2504-2001 managerial record, Cox also set an all-time benchmark that is unlikely to be topped — 162 career ejections, the most of any manager in history. Cox’s fiery personality and willingness to stand up for his teams made him both a beloved manager and even a mentor to many of his players, and the clubhouse cohesion (along with tremendous talent, of course) was a key factor in the Braves’ sustained success.
Between Cox’s passing and the passing of longtime Braves owner Ted Turner earlier this week, Atlanta has lost two baseball icons within a matter of days. Their legacies are intertwined amongst one of the greatest runs of sustained success in baseball history, and even after Cox and Turner were no longer directly involved with the organization, a clear path can be drawn between Cox’s teams and the successful Braves teams of recent years.
We at MLB Trade Rumors send our condolences to Cox’s family, friends, and many fans.
José Azocar Elects Free Agency
Outfielder José Azocar elected free agency after clearing outright waivers, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. The Braves had designated him for assignment on Wednesday when they called up rookie infielder Jim Jarvis.
Azocar signed a minor league deal with Atlanta shortly before the New Year. It was his second stint in the organization after he’d spent a couple weeks on the MLB bench last season. Azocar only played in two games last year. He began this season at Triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .270/.348/.420 with a pair of home runs in 113 plate appearances.
Atlanta called Azocar up last week when Ronald Acuña Jr. landed on the injured list. He started Sunday’s game in right field and went hitless in two at-bats. He came off the bench as a pinch-runner a day later and stole a base. That was the extent of this year’s MLB stint.
Azocar has now appeared in parts of five big league seasons. He’s a .243/.288/.318 hitter over 420 career trips, most of which came during his first two seasons (2021-22) with the Padres. The 29-year-old (30 next week) carries a .276/.321/.416 line over parts of six Triple-A campaigns. He’s a good runner who can play anywhere in the outfield. Azocar should sign a minor league contract somewhere in the coming days, and a return to Atlanta would hardly be a surprise.
Braves Re-Sign Carlos Carrasco To Minor League Deal
Carlos Carrasco‘s latest trip to free agency was predictably brief. He’s back with the Braves on a new minor league deal and has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett, per the team’s MLB.com transaction log. Carrasco was designated for assignment this week and elected free agency yesterday after clearing waivers.
The 39-year-old veteran has pitched well with Atlanta this season, both in the majors and in Triple-A. The two parties are clearly showing an openness to Carrasco operating as something of a 41st man on the roster — being summoned to the majors when a need for some length in the bullpen or a spot start arises and then running through waivers and re-signing in near-immediate fashion. Carrasco could always simply accept an outright assignment, but hammering out a new minor league deal could include slightly more favorable terms, new opt-out dates that weren’t present in the prior deal, and other perks.
The end result is the same. Carrasco’s back with Atlanta and figures to be one of the first names called if and when they need a fresh arm. If he continues to pitch as well as he has, there’s a chance he’ll be claimed by another club one of these times, but that’d be just as favorable an outcome for him, as he’d then remain on a big league roster and continue to collect a big league salary. So long as Carrasco is on board with the DFA carousel gambit — and it’s clear he is, or he wouldn’t keep immediately re-signing there — then the setup is a win-win for both team and player.
Carrasco has pitched 2 1/3 shutout frames in a pair of big league appearances this year. He’s also made four starts for Gwinnett and pitched to a 1.71 ERA with an 18-to-5 K/BB ratio (20.7 K%, 5.7 BB%) in 21 innings. The Braves originally connected with Carrasco last July after he was designated for assignment by the Yankees and traded to Atlanta for cash. He cleared waivers with Atlanta last August and re-signed, then re-signed again in the offseason. He’s now re-signed under similar circumstances twice this season, bringing him to a total of four minor league deals with the Braves since last August.
Carlos Carrasco Elects Free Agency
May 7: As expected, Carrasco again cleared waivers and elected free agency, according to the MLB.com transaction log. The likeliest outcome is that he’ll return on a new minor league deal within the next couple days.
May 5: The Braves announced Tuesday that veteran righty Carlos Carrasco has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster goes to closer Raisel Iglesias, who has been reinstated from the 15-day injured list.
It’s the second time this season Atlanta has designated Carrasco for assignment. He seems quite amenable to being used as a de facto 41st man on the roster — being selected to the majors when an extra arm is needed, then riding the DFA carousel and re-signing a new minor league deal when he’s outrighted or released. He’s now been designated for assignment by the Braves three times dating back to last August. Each time he’s cleared waivers and re-signed. It’s the same gambit we saw with Atlanta and Jesse Chavez late in his career. Plenty of other clubs have done this with out-of-options pitchers in recent years as well (e.g. Mariners/Casey Lawrence, Yankees/Ryan Weber).
Carrasco has pitched in two games with the Braves this year. He’s logged 2 1/3 innings and held opponents scoreless on one hit and no walks with a pair of strikeouts. The former Cleveland ace has pitched well in Triple-A, too, tossing 21 innings (four starts) with a 1.71 earned run average.
At 39 years old, Carrasco is a good bet to again pass through waivers and return to Triple-A Gwinnett — whether by accepting an outright assignment or becoming a free agent and quickly re-signing, as he did after his most recent DFA in mid-April. Teams are typically very open and straightforward with veterans in this type of situation, so Carrasco is surely on board with the setup. It’s feasible that he’ll continue to pitch well enough that a team will eventually claim him off waivers, although in that scenario, he still makes out nicely, as he gets to stick in the big leagues and collect a major league paycheck even longer.
The Braves also noted that lefty Dylan Dodd is heading out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim‘s rehab assignment has been moved from Double-A to Triple-A as well. Both are on the mend and should be activated before too much longer.
Braves Select Jim Jarvis, Designate Jose Azocar
The Braves announced they’ve selected the contract of infielder Jim Jarvis from Triple-A Gwinnett. He’ll head to the majors for the first call-up of his career. Outfielder Jose Azocar has been designated for assignment in a corresponding move.
Jarvis, a product of the University of Alabama, was an 11th-round pick by the Tigers in 2023. Detroit traded him to Atlanta at last summer’s deadline for middle reliever Rafael Montero. Jarvis was amidst a middling offensive season in Double-A but has posted stronger numbers since joining the Braves’ system.
The lefty batter hit .265/.344/.361 over 21 games with Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate after the trade. He earned a late-season bump to Gwinnett, where he has played the first five weeks of this season. Jarvis is out to an excellent .308/.415/.445 start through 153 plate appearances. He has worked walks at a lofty 15% clip against a lower than average 17.6% strikeout rate while stealing 15 bases in 17 tries.
Jarvis has shown a strong awareness of the strike zone throughout his minor league career. He hasn’t been much of a power threat despite connecting on four home runs and six doubles in Triple-A. That accounts a third of the longballs he has hit in nearly 1200 professional plate appearances. Jarvis’ exit velocities in Gwinnett are still middling, so he’s unlikely to hit for much power at the MLB level.
The lack of offensive impact has kept Jarvis mostly off the prospect radar. Baseball America ranked him 28th in the Atlanta system over the offseason, while Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs had him as an honorable mention in his March writeup of the organization. Both outlets credit Jarvis as a steady, if not particularly flashy, shortstop with a contact-based offensive approach.
Atlanta has moved Mauricio Dubón from shortstop to center field over the past week. That was initially driven by Michael Harris II battling minor quad discomfort that kept him out of the field. Harris donned a glove last night but started in left field for the first time in his career. They kept Dubón in center while pushing Mike Yastrzemski over to right field. That’ll probably be their primary outfield trio while Ronald Acuña Jr. is out, even if they flip Harris back up the middle and Dubón to left once Harris is back to full speed.
Jarvis gives them a little more depth on the infield behind stopgap shortstop Jorge Mateo. The Braves should get Ha-Seong Kim back from injury within the next week to 10 days. That’ll push Mateo back to a depth role alongside Kyle Farmer and could nudge Jarvis back to Triple-A.
Azocar was just selected onto the MLB roster as outfield depth when Acuña went down on Sunday. He made one start in right field, going 0-2. He pinch ran and stole a base on Monday. The 29-year-old has had a couple very brief stints on Atlanta’s roster over the last two years. Azocar was out to a .270/.348/.420 start with Gwinnett but has a modest .243/.288/.318 batting line over parts of five MLB campaigns.
Atlanta will trade Azocar or place him on waivers within the next five days. The latter outcome seems likelier. There’s a decent chance he’ll clear because he’s out of minor league options, meaning a claiming team would need to be willing to carry him on the big league roster. Azocar has been outrighted in his career a few times, giving him the right to elect free agency if he goes unclaimed again.
Braves Trade Jonah Heim To A’s
The Braves announced they’ve traded catcher Jonah Heim to the Athletics for cash. He was just designated for assignment this evening when Atlanta welcomed Sean Murphy back from the injured list.
The A’s subsequently announced the trade as well, placing Shea Langeliers on the paternity list in a corresponding move. They already had an opening on the 40-man roster after losing infielder Andy Ibáñez on waivers to the Mets last week. They’re off tonight but will presumably have Heim available for tomorrow’s series opener in Philadelphia.
Heim goes back to the team for which he made his MLB debut six years ago. Originally an Orioles draftee, he was traded to the Rays and then to the A’s (for infielder Joey Wendle) while in the minor leagues. The switch-hitter reached the Majors during the shortened season, playing in 13 games. The A’s traded him to the Rangers the following offseason as part of the Elvis Andrus/Khris Davis swap.
That turned out to be an excellent pickup for Texas. Heim struggled as a rookie in 2021 but broke through as a capable starting catcher the following year. He took another step forward in ’23, earning an All-Star selection and winning a Gold Glove while hitting .258/.317/.438. Heim was the starting catcher for the Rangers’ World Series run that season.
His production has taken a nosedive over the last couple years. Heim combined for a .217/.269/.334 batting line in more than 900 plate appearances between 2024-25. Although his strikeout rate was mostly unchanged, his walk rate dipped slightly and he lost a couple points on his hard contact percentage. Texas non-tendered him last winter, cutting him loose for what would have been his final season of arbitration.
Heim signed a $1.25MM free agent contract with Atlanta early in Spring Training. Murphy was rehabbing from last fall’s hip labrum surgery. The Braves needed a short-term backup but would have had a tough time carrying three catchers once Murphy returned to join Drake Baldwin. Heim showed reasonably well over 12 games, hitting .231/.311/.410 with one home run in 45 plate appearances. He had an even number of walks and strikeouts (five apiece). The defense was a little more concerning, as he failed to catch any of the 13 runners who attempted to steal against him. He didn’t commit any passed balls but was behind the dish for six wild pitches in 103 innings.
Like the Braves, the A’s have one of the best starting catchers in MLB. Langeliers will be back within the next three days or so. Austin Wynns has backed Langeliers up all season, but he’s out to an .086 start without an extra-base hit through 13 games. The A’s probably wouldn’t have assumed Heim’s salary only to carry him on the roster for a few days. Both he and Wynns have over five years of service time and could refuse a minor league assignment while collecting their remaining salaries. Wynns is playing on a $1.1MM arbitration deal.