Braves sign Conner Capel to Minor League deal

The Braves have signed an outfielder Conner Capel to a minor league deal, according to the transaction tracker on Capel’s MLB.com profile page. The deal presumably 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 the Oscar Mercato trade in 2018. Capel spent the next few years climbing the minor league ladder, but ultimately made his big league debut with the Cardinals in 2022 during his age-25 season. He appeared in just nine games for St. Louis before being designated for assignment in September of that year, but the then-Oakland A’s plucked him off waivers and added him to the roster along the way. While Capel struggled mightily with the Cardinals with a .176/.211/.353 batting line, he found another gear in Oakland and slashed .371/.425/.600 in his last 40 plate appearances of the season.

Capel’s strong performance was enough to convince the A’s to place him on the 2023 Opening Day roster. He was a fixture in the club’s outfield mix early in the season, but he put up more pedestrian numbers than expected. had not done in his torrid September. the previous year, hitting just .260/.372/.329. Those on-base skills were enough to keep his overall slash line above league average, but the 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 club’s Las Vegas affiliate and hit just .252/.346/.402 in the bloated offensive environment of the Pacific Coast League. This led to the A’s cutting Capel from the 40-man roster, allowing him to elect free agency following the 2023 campaign.

Ultimately, Capel was able to reach the Reds in free agency via a minor league deal. At the time, it seemed somewhat unlikely that he would impact the big league club in 2024, given the crowded position mix in Cincinnati. However, things quickly changed for the Reds. Noelvi Mars he was suspended for the first half of 2024 due to a failed PED test and injuries TJ Friedl, Matt McLainAND Christian Encarnacion-Strand opened up plenty of playing time in Cincinnati. That string of injuries allowed Capel to make the big league roster in May, though he appeared in just five games with the Reds before being designated for assignment. 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 to free agency early this winter.

Now that he’s tied to the Braves, Capel figures to provide the club with outfield depth from the left side. It will join the right-handed Bryan De La Cruz in that role Atlanta looks to strengthen its depth in the outfield. With Ronald Acuna Jr. Not expected to be ready for Opening Day after suffering a torn ACL early last year, the club has little certainty in the outfield beyond Michael Harris II in the midfield e Jarred Kelenik as a potential option for a corner seat. The Braves figure to add at least one outfielder who can offer more certainty than De La Cruz or Capel, but the pair could still compete for a bench role with the club this spring or step in if additional injuries further complicate the club’s outfield plans.