Inside The Dodgers

Veteran Outfielder Cut by Dodgers Signs With Surging Former Team

J.P. Hoornstra

Feb 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Eddie Rosario rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale.
Feb 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Eddie Rosario rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Chicago Cubs during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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Eddie Rosario's time in a Dodgers uniform didn't last long.

The veteran outfielder, who was designated for assignment April 20 after playing two games with Los Angeles, signed a major league contract with the Atlanta Braves on Monday.

Rosario went 1 for 4 with a single while Shohei Ohtani was on paternity list. He was DFA'd because he could not be optioned to the minors, and elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

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Atlanta, a team many picked to win the National League East this year, lost its first seven regular-season games. That included a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium March 31-April 2.

More recently, the Braves have won seven of their last nine games.

Rosario won a World Series with Atlanta in 2021 and was named Most Valuable Player of that year's NL Championship Series — when the Braves eliminated the Dodgers en route to the championship.

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Signing Rosario was one in a series of roster moves announced Monday by the Braves.

In related moves, Atlanta designated right-handed pitcher Zach Thompson for assignment and optioned outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A Gwinnett.

The Braves also added Ian Anderson to their major league roster, giving Rosario another recently reclaimed 2021 Brave to reconnect with after leaving Southern California. Anderson was DFA'd by the Angels last Wednesday and claimed by the Braves on Sunday.

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Rosario, 33, played 14 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, slashing .339/.406/.542 to earn the promotion when Ohtani left the team for the birth of his daughter.

On Feb. 16, Rosario signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers and got a long look in spring training.

Rosario appeared in 12 Cactus League games with the Dodgers in spring. He slashed .154/.241/.423 with two home runs, two runs, five RBIs and a stolen base. He drew three walks and struck out eight times in 26 at-bats.

Since debuting with the Minnesota Twins in 2015, Rosario is a career .261 hitter in 1,123 major league games with five different organizations: the Twins (2015-20), Cleveland Guardians (2021), Atlanta Braves (2021-24), Washington Nationals (2024), and Dodgers (2025).

In 2024, Rosario compiled a .175 batting average and .531 OPS in 391 plate appearances with the Braves and Nationals. He also spent a short time in the Mets' organization, playing seven games at Triple-A Syracuse.

Only Brandon Drury's -2.1 Wins Above Replacement (per FanGraphs) were fewer than Rosario's -2.0 fWAR last season.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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