Another Shortstop Headed to Braves on Minor League Deal

The Atlanta Braves add another infielder to bolster depth in the system as Spring Training approaches

The Braves add more infield depth on a minor league deal | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves made the move to add to their infield depth in the system. According to his transaction page, they signed shortstop Jordan Groshans to a minor league contract last week. He was assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett, and it can be presumed he will be invited to Spring Training. 

While Groshans is listed as a shortstop on his MLB.com profile, he is more of a utility man based on his track record. As a matter of fact, he’s played the plurality of his professional games at third base. However, shortstop is right behind it. 

His only major league action came back in 2022, when he played 17 games for the Marlins. All games saw him play at third base. In those games, he batted .262 with a .619 OPS with a home run and two RBIs. The home run was his lone extra-base hit. 

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Since then, he’s been in the minor leagues, spending time in the Marlins, Yankees, Athletics and Royals systems. He’s played in both Double-A and Triple-A during this time. He has been at big league camp every season, and he’s looked good during Spring Training as well. 

Last spring with the Royals, he batted .353 with a 1.097 OPS in 16 Cactus League games. Perhaps it is a sign of potential he could still have. He was injured for a chunk of last season, limiting his action in Triple-A. If he is healthy, he could provide a depth option for the Braves.

That’s what he would be: depth. The Braves have their options for the infield to hold themselves over until Ha-Seong Kim returns from his injury. He recently underwent surgery to repair a tendon on his right middle finger. 

Mauricio Dubón has been the presumed starting shortstop in Kim's absence. Before Kim signed, there was an indication that Dubón would be the shortstop. They would just default to that plan B. As added insurance, they have Jorge Mateo inked to a one-year deal to provide an experienced option for the infield. Nacho Alvarez Jr. is another option in the infield. 

The Braves are reportedly optimistic that Kim will be back in May.

This has been said ad nauseam at this point, but every time one of these smaller deals happens, it has to. You never know when you’ll need the extra options. Injuries can pile up, as we’ve seen already. It doesn’t hurt to have someone ready to go in the system.