"It is no secret that the Atlanta Braves struggled at the shortstop position for most of the season. Nick Allen had an elite glove but could not hit. They also struggled with health in the infield, with Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies both missing chunks of time with injuries. The Braves needed some depth, and one of the players that stepped in role for a short time was Vidal Bruján."
"He played thirty-six games for the Cubs, but only ten of those were starts. The Cubs were not in need of his services any longer and the Orioles picked him up off of waivers on August 3, only for him to appear in one game for them in which he had one PA. He actually came through with a hit in that at-bat, but the Orioles put him on waivers and the Braves picked him up five days after the Orioles waived him."
"It was pretty clear that the role he was brought in for was a utility role. He was about as "utility" as they come. With his time with the Cubs, he was used as a PR, PH, DH, RF, LF, CF, 2B, 3B, and SS during that span. The Braves were dealing with multiple injuries in the infield and Nick Allen was not producing at the plate, so it made sense to bring in a guy that could play pretty much anywhere."
The Atlanta Braves faced shortstop and infield injury problems while Nick Allen produced strong defense but poor offense and Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies missed time. Vidal Bruján moved between the Cubs and Orioles before joining the Braves via waivers. Bruján filled a true utility role, appearing as pinch-runner, pinch-hitter, DH, outfielder across all spots, and at multiple infield positions. His prior major-league track record included 550 PA, -2.1 fWAR, a 51 career wRC+, and a 74 wRC+ best mark in 2024, with defensive negatives in most recent seasons. Despite that profile and a 50 FV pedigree, Bruján produced a better 2025 season than earlier results indicated.
Read at Battery Power
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