Braves Claim Former Top 100 Prospect Off Waivers From Orioles

The Atlanta Braves make the move to add more depth to the infield ahead of Friday’s game against the Marlins. They announced they have Vidal Bruján off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. 

No corresponding move was announced. The Braves had the open spot on their 40-man roster to pick him up and not make the move. 

The only guess that can be made as to why the Braves made the move is to ensure they have enough infielder depth. He also provides more depth for the upcoming doubleheader.

Bruján, not too long ago, was one of the top prospects in baseball. As recently as the 2022 season, he was the Tampa Bay Rays' No. 4 prospect and the No. 77 prospect overall. He was ranked ahead of names such as outfielder Jarren Duran, infielder Tyler Freeman, and starting pitchers Joe Ryan and MacKenzie Gore. 

It just shows how unpredictable the prospect pool can be in the game of baseball, even when you stand out among the top 100. 

Over parts of five seasons, Bruján has played in 238 Major League games, batting .193 with a .533 OPS with five home runs and 43 RBIs. He played with the Orioles for one game and was with the organization for four days. 

He picked up a base hit in his lone trip to the plate while in Baltimore. There is no mention of a DFA on his transaction page, but the Braves were able to pick him up on waivers; he was removed from their 40-man roster at some point between when he was activated on Aug. 4 and when he was claimed on Aug. 8. 

He was with the Chicago Cubs organization before that. He played three games with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, along with 36 games up in the majors with Chicago. In 36 games with the Cubs, he batted .222 with a .523 OPS and was designated for assignment by the Cubs on July 30. 

Atlanta Braves on SI has no word on if this is related to Austin Riley’s recovery. That update will be added to this page once we know. We know from previous reports that his timetable is up in the air. We don’t know what it means for Nacho Alvarez Jr. either, who had to sit out of the lineup on Thursday due to some soreness. 

Along with the addition of Bruján, the Braves are currently utilizing Alvarez, Jonathan Ornelas and Luke Williams to help bolster the infield.

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