Report: Braves sign Yangervis Solarte to minor league​ deal

After a quite month-plus, the Braves broke their silence by signing veteran infielder Yangervis Solarte to a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports.

This is far from the signing Braves fans were hoping for; it was reported yesterday after Josh Donaldson signed with the Twins that the Braves were most likely to pivot to free-agent outfielders Nick Castellanos and Marcell Ozuna to replace The Bringer of Rain’s pop in the lineup. I wouldn’t imagine this takes them out of the running for either of those two, but it will serve as some veteran depth, kind of like Matt Joyce provided a year ago. Although, Atlanta would be so lucky for him to perform anywhere near the level that Joyce did.

 

Solarte was DFA’d by the Giants after hitting just .205 with a homer in 28 games. He elected to choose free agency and signed a minor-league deal with the Miami Marlins but was released less than a month later. The next day, Solarte signed with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan, where he only spent two months. However, prior to 2019, he was a rather productive outfielder, averaging 16 home runs a season from 2015-2018 and a .259 batting average with a .733 OPS. Hopefully, the Braves are getting that guy rather than the one that showed up this past year.