Braves Select Brewer Hicklen

The Braves have selected the contract of outfielder Brewer Hicklen, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. The 40-man roster had a vacancy after catcher Austin Wynns was outrighted yesterday. Hicklen has been optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett and will not be immediately added to the active roster.

It might seem odd to add a player to the 40-man roster but keep him in the minors. In these situations, the player usually has some kind of opt-out in his deal. Giving the player a roster spot prevents him from opting out. Keeping him in the minors means no one currently on the big league roster needs to be bumped off.

Hicklen, 30, signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in the offseason. He has been with Triple-A this year and performing quite well. He has a .316/.381/.519 line and 137 wRC+, indicating he has been 37% better than league average. He has gotten a bit of help from a .367 batting average on balls in play but he has put the ball over the fence 11 times. His 9.1% walk rate and 21.6% strikeout rate are both decent figures. He has also stolen 21 bases already, a pace which aligns pretty well with his previous seasons on the farm.

He has had minor league success before, which has led to very fleeting big league chances. Hicklen suited up for the 2022 Royals but made just four plate appearances. Living up to his name, he was a Brewer in 2024, but was sent to the plate just five times. He got another four plate appearances with the Tigers last year. He has a .167/.231/.167 line in that tiny sample of 13 sojourns in the batters box.

Atlanta is clearly happy with Hicklen’s performance and didn’t want to lose him as a depth piece. They made a similar move earlier this month with DaShawn Keirsey Jr., selecting him to the roster but keeping him in the minors. The club currently has Ronald Acuña Jr. on the injured list and is without Jurickson Profar all year due to a PED suspension. Their current outfield alignment consists of Michael Harris II, Mike Yastrzemski, Mauricio Dubón and Eli White.

Should another injury pop up in that group, Keirsey and Hicklen could be the top of the list of names to get the call. Hicklen has one option remaining. Once he spends 20 days on optional assignment, 2026 will officially be his final option season, meaning he will be out of options going forward.