The Braves have signed Harold Ramírez to a minor league contract and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, as announced by Gwinnett broadcaster Dave Lezotte on X. This marks Ramírez’s third team this season, having started with the Rays before being released in June after a rough start. He then briefly joined the Nationals, hitting .243/.273/.365 in under a month, before being released again last week.
Overall this season, Ramírez has posted a .261/.280/.324 slash line over 246 plate appearances, lacking power and walks. This contrasts with his more productive 2022-23 performance with the Rays, where he hit .306/.348/.432 over nearly 900 plate appearances, particularly excelling against left-handed pitchers.
The Braves have nothing to lose by assigning him to Gwinnett, hoping he can rediscover his previous form. The Rays are covering Ramírez’s $3.8MM salary, and if the Braves promote him, they would only be responsible for the prorated portion of the $740K league minimum. Ramírez is technically eligible for arbitration and could be under team control through 2025, but he would need a strong finish to the season for the Braves to consider offering him a contract that would likely exceed $4MM.
In other news, Jorge Soler has returned to the starting lineup after dealing with a hamstring issue, likely pushing Ramón Laureano to the bench. Laureano, who was released by the Guardians earlier this season due to poor performance, has since rebounded with a .284/.318/.520 slash in 29 games for Atlanta, securing his roster spot. Ramírez’s best chance to make the team would be to replace Adam Duvall, who has been strong against left-handed pitching but struggles significantly against righties.
Ramírez would be eligible for postseason play if the Braves choose to call him up, as long as he’s in the organization by September 1, even if he’s not on the 40-man roster. The league often grants approval for such players as injury replacements during the playoffs.
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