The Braves have added infielder Joshua Fuentes on a minor league deal, according to the MLB.com transactions log.
Fuentes, 30 in February, was signed by the Rockies as an amateur free agent back in 2014. He had a slow rise through the minor leagues, but showed a fair bit of promise in Triple-A, slashing .327/.354/.517 with 14 home runs. He was rewarded with a first big league call up the following year, hitting .218/.232/.400 across 56 plate appearances in 2019.
Over the next few seasons Fuentes would get a fair bit of exposure in the big leagues, putting together a combined .243/.269/.377 line with 12 home runs over 443 plate appearances between 2019-21. Fuentes would log most of his time at first and third base, but did see a little bit of time in the corner outfield spots as well. In a combined 472 1/3 innings at third he was worth 10 Defensive Runs Saved, while in 417 1/3 innings at first he was worth 9 DRS.
Fuentes elected free agency after the Rockies outrighted him at the end of the 2021 season. He latched on with the Blue Jays on a minor league deal for 2022, but after hitting just .165/.205/.200 in 112 plate appearances at Triple-A he was released. He signed on to play with Yucatan in Mexico for the rest of the year, and hit .299/.364/.576 with ten home runs in 162 plate appearances.
Fuentes will provide the Braves with a bit of corner infield depth in 2023. He has one minor league option remaining.
