The Braves signed an outfielder Conner Capel to a minor league deal, according to the deal tracker on Capel’s MLB.com profile page. The deal likely includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training in 2025.
A fifth-round pick by Cleveland in the 2016 draft, Capel was traded to the Cardinals as part of Oscar Mercado trading back in 2018. Capel spent the next few years climbing the minor league ladder but finally made his big league debut with the Cardinals back in 2022 during his age 25 campaign. He appeared in just nine games for St. Louis prior to his assignment in September of that year, but the Oakland A’s then waived him and added him to the roster. While Capel struggled badly with the Cardinals to a .176/.211/.353 batting line, he found another gear in Oakland and slashed .371/.425/.600 over his final 40 games of the season.
Capel’s showing of durability was enough to convince the A’s to put him on their 2023 Opening Day roster. He was a regular in the corner of the team’s infield early in the season but put up more pedestrian numbers than he did during his bad season in September. last year, hitting just .260/.372/.329. Those on-base skills were enough to keep his slash line above league average, but a lack of power led the A’s to option him to Triple-A. After being sent back to the minor leagues, Capel struggled with the Las Vegas club and hit just .252/.346/.402 in the Pacific Coast League’s offensive zone. That led to the A’s taking Capel off the 40-man roster, allowing him to elect free agency following the 2023 campaign.
Eventually, Capel joined the Reds in free agency on a minor league deal. At the time, it seemed unlikely that he would make an impact on the big league club in 2024 given the mix of positions in Cincinnati. Things changed quickly for the Reds after that, however. Noelvi Marte suspended for the first half of 2024 due to a failed PED test, and injury TJ Friedl, Matt McLainagain Christian Encarnacion-Strand he opened up a lot of playing time in Cincinnati. That rash of injuries allowed Capel to emerge from the big league roster in May, though he appeared in just five games with the Reds before being assigned. After going two-for-eight with a stolen base and a run scored in Cincinnati, Capel returned to Triple-A Louisville where he slashed .218/.343/.432 in 74 games before returning in free agency earlier this winter .
Now that he’s connected to the Braves’ roster, Capel provides the club with no depth on the left side. You will join direct calling Bryan De La Cruz in that role as Atlanta looks to increase its outfield depth. With Ronald Acuna Jr. who was not expected to be ready for Opening Day after suffering an ACL injury early last year, the club is unsure of an opponent in the outfield. Michael Harris II in center field and Jarred Kelenic as a potential option for a corner location. The Braves will be able to add at least one outfielder who can provide more certainty than De La Cruz or Capel, but the pair could still fight for a bench role with the club this Spring or come in if more injuries complicate the club’s plans.
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