The Atlanta Braves have not been able to recapture the heights of their 104-win 2023 season, and it's thanks in large part to their struggles on the offensive side of the ball. On Thursday, the Braves cut ties with a former postseason hero who has struggled immensely from the plate in Eddie Rosario, designating the 32-year-old left fielder for assignment, per David O'Brien of The Athletic.
Rosario was brought back by the Braves in an attempt to jumpstart the offense and facilitate a career revival of sorts for the 32-year-old. He struggled to begin the year after signing a $2 million deal with the Washington Nationals in the offseason, and the Nationals deemed that releasing him from his contract was for the best after he slashed .183/.226/.329 in 235 plate appearances.
The Braves promptly picked Eddie Rosario up in early July; Rosario has a history of delivering for the Braves, particularly in the 2021 postseason, so Atlanta saw the value in bringing him in. Alas, Rosario was a net-negative during his time with the Braves this season, as he was worth -0.7 WAR, per Fangraphs, in only 84 plate appearances (24 games) with the team.
Eli White, a 30-year-old outfielder, will be coming in to take Rosario's place on the roster, per O'Brien. White does not provide too much value at the plate, slashing .183/.258/.299 for his career, but he has a history of being a solid to good defender, which should at least make him a helpful player for the Braves to have even if his contributions may not be the flashiest.
Eddie Rosario is a shell of his former self, gets released by Braves
Eddie Rosario was never the most complete player on the plate; he wasn't exactly adept at getting on-base often. But he knew that his strengths as a hitter was in his ability to hit the ball hard. He was a driving force in the Minnesota Twins' lineup in the late 2010s, and then in 2021, he emerged as a playoff hero for the Braves after he was acquired from the then-Cleveland Indians basically for free.
He played in every game of the Braves' World Series run three years ago, starting 15 of 16 games. The slugging left-fielder slashed a mightily impressive .383/.456/.617, drawing eight walks against just 10 strikeouts. He was a force to be reckoned with in the NLCS, going 14-25 as the Braves took care of business against the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
Rosario understandably became a fan favorite, but his 2022 season was a disaster on all fronts and 2023, despite being a bounce-back season at the plate, wasn't that much better for him. Given how much he's struggled in 2024, Rosario might be at the end of his rope as a big-leaguer, barring a major career turnaround.
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