The Braves have brought Rowdy Tellez back into the organization on a new minor league deal, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Atlanta had designated the first baseman/designated hitter for assignment last week and then outrighted him to Triple-A over the weekend. Tellez briefly tested free agency, but the move back to the Braves comes after that short detour, a pattern that has shown up before and could again soon with right-hander Carlos Carrasco.
Tellez’s first run with the Braves’ Triple-A club in Gwinnett went well. Over 207 plate appearances with the Stripers, he hit .259/.367/.483 with eight homers, 15 doubles and a walk rate that sat just under 15%. The Braves also gave him a short look in the majors last month, and he came through with two hits, including a homer, in 11 plate appearances, 10 of them at-bats.
Even with that production, a long stay on the big league roster was never going to be easy. Atlanta is carrying both Tellez and Dominic Smith as left-handed first base/DH options, and neither player can be optioned.
That creates a squeeze alongside Matt Olson, making roster math a constant issue. Smith has fallen off after a scorching start, posting .177/.244/.241 over his last 90 plate appearances, though his overall line still sits at .273/.313/.404 and he’s striking out only 14.2% of the time.
Tellez has now played parts of nine major league seasons with the Blue Jays, Brewers, Pirates, Mariners, Rangers and Braves. His career line is .234/.299/.437, and his best power season came in 2022, when he hit 35 home runs. Since then, in more limited roles, he has hit .230/.289/.403 across 1095 plate appearances.
For now, Tellez is headed back to Gwinnett, where he’ll give Atlanta another left-handed depth option if injuries hit Olson or Smith, or if Smith’s recent slide continues.
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