Infielder Returning to Braves on Minor League Contract

The Atlanta Braves bring back a familiar face to help fortify their infielder depth in the system

The Braves bring back an infielder and position-player pitcher | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves brought a familiar face back to the system. According to his transaction log, infielder Luke Williams was re-signed to a minor league contract. He saw spurts of action with the big-league team last season, both in the infield and even as a pitcher a few times during blowouts.

At the end of last season, Williams was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett. Instead of accepting his assignment, he chose to elect free agency. Ultimately, he chose to go right where he could have been anyway.

Assuming he sticks around for the regular season in some capacity, it will be the fourth season that he will be season action in the Braves organization. He was claimed off waivers from the Dodgers in June 2023 and apart from his times he has elected free agent, he's been with Atlanta ever since.

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In 45 gmes with the Braves last season, he batted .129 with a .370 OPS with no home runs and five RBIs. During his 24 games with Triple-A Gwinnett, he batted .114 with a .313 OPS, with no home runs and two RBIs. He managed to muster better MLB stats than minor league stats.

It's not too surprising that this move comes after Ha-Seong Kim suffered a right middle finger injury. He provides more depth, even if he isn't expected to do too much. Mauricio Dubon and Jorge Mateo will still be the two most likely options to help cover shortstop, along with potentially Nacho Alvarez Jr.

Williams will have a role, if he's in the majors, of being a late-game defensive substitution. If he is in the starting lineup, then it's because there is a goal to get certain players off their feet for the day. In Triple-A, he'll see more playing time. While his numbers last year with the Stripers were far from ideal, he's looked better in previous seasons.

The year before, he batted .282 with an .839 OPS in 55 with Gwinnett. He probably won't match those 2024 numbers again, assuming he is with the organization come the regular season, but he could very well do better than how he did in 2025.

Yes, for those who are wondering, there is always the chance that he gets on the mound. He made six appearances last season, allowing two earned runs over six innings pitched. Five of his six appearances were scoreless, so he is capable of limiting the damage.