DaShawn Keirsey Jr. is back in the majors, and this time the Braves are giving him a familiar kind of job.
Atlanta recalled the outfielder from Triple-A Gwinnett on Friday and opened a roster spot by placing Lane Thomas on the 10-day injured list, backdated to September 8, with a strained left intercostal muscle.
Keirsey’s path to this point has been a strange one for a player many Twins fans probably let fade from memory. He spent last season in Minnesota, appearing in 74 games mostly as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner. At the plate, the numbers were rough: .107/.138/.179 with two home runs and six RBI in 88 plate appearances, though he did chip in 10 stolen bases.
Minnesota cut ties with him in the offseason, designating him for assignment last November. Keirsey cleared waivers, chose free agency, and landed a minor-league deal with Atlanta.
The Braves have kept him in Triple-A Gwinnett all season, where he has hit .247/.303/.346 with six home runs, 36 RBI and 40 stolen bases in 109 games. Atlanta selected his contract on June 4 because of an opt-out clause, then immediately optioned him back to Triple-A.
For now, the role looks straightforward. Keirsey is likely to be used the same way he was with the Twins: as a late-game defensive sub and a pinch-run threat. With Atlanta trying to hold its place atop the National League East and chase one of the top two seeds in the NL standings, there doesn’t appear to be much room for him to start regularly.
The Braves are betting on what Keirsey can do with his legs and glove, not his bat. That makes sense given the shape of his season.
His minor-league track record has included back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024 with an OPS of .800+, which helped earn him a major-league look in the first place. He also hit .250/.335/.436 in 36 games with Triple-A St.
Paul last year.
The one wrinkle is that his Triple-A production this season hasn’t matched those previous numbers. His OPS sits at .649.
Still, Atlanta clearly wasn’t making this move for offense. It brought him up for speed, defense and the kind of late-inning versatility that can matter when games get tight.
The Twins drafted Keirsey in the fourth round out of the University of Utah in 2018.
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