Atlanta Braves DFA'd Catcher Elects Free Agency

Another player who was designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves last week has elected free agency. The team announced that catcher Sandy León will test the market.

With that decision, all five players who were removed from the 40-man roster at the end of the regular season have opted for free agency. Among these players are outfielder Jarred Kelenic and infielder Luke Williams.

There is always the chance that any of these guys re-sign to a minor league deal. However, as of now, they’re all seeking greener pastures.

León elects free agency after two seasons in the Braves organization. He spent almost all of it with Triple-A Gwinnett, but played a handful of games with the big league team in 2025. He had two call-ups to Atlanta.

The first one came when the Braves were looking to use both Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy in the lineup together as the catcher and the designated hitter. When Marcell Ozuna earned the DH spot back, they put León back on the shuttle to the minors. 

His second stint came after Sean Murphy suffered a season-ending injury that required surgery on his hip. 

In that short time with the Braves, particularly in the big leagues, he got to have some special individual moments. When he got his chance to be in the starting lineup, he hit his first home run in four years. 

He got to continue serving as a mentor for rookie Drake Baldwin. The two used to be teammates down in Gwinnett in 2024. León also got to reunite with his former Red Sox teammate, Chris Sale. 

The two won the World Series together in 2018, and getting to pair up again as a battery was a long-awaited moment. They first got to reunite in Triple-A during Sale’s rehab assignment. The wish to get the band back together in the big leagues came true in mid-September during a doubleheader against the Washington Nationals.

Sale pitched eight shutout innings with León behind the dish. He didn’t do too much with the Braves this year, but when he got to play, he found his way into the headlines. 

For now, the two catchers for the Braves remain Baldwin and Murphy. If that situation changes, the Braves can then decide to find a backup catcher. Multiple catchers were brought in as non-roster invitees ahead of Spring Training. That can be done again if needed. 

More From Atlanta Braves on SI