The Atlanta Braves have been among MLB’s busiest clubs since their season began to unravel, resulting in significant roster churn.
Through a mix of waiver claims, free-agent signings, trades, and minor-league transactions, the Braves’ roster has been in constant flux. One example is a catcher who joined the organization in September but moved on without ever playing a game for Atlanta.
That player was Chuckie Robinson, a 31-year-old journeyman who has spent time with three major league teams and five minor league organizations. He was claimed off waivers by the Braves on September 21, but after the season ended, Atlanta placed him back on waivers and removed him from the 40-man roster, which allowed him to choose minor-league free agency.
On Thursday, Robinson re-signed with the Dodgers on a minor-league contract, according to the transactions log on his official roster page.
Robinson has a career .131 batting average and .361 OPS in 52 major league games for the Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Cincinnati Reds. In the minors, though, he’s provided average offense, with a .719 OPS across parts of nine seasons, including 69 home runs.
The Dodgers may not be the worst place for a true backup catcher to land right now. No one is taking Will Smith’s job, that much is certain, but if Los Angeles trades former top prospect Dalton Rushing, who has too much upside to be stuck in a backup role, the duty of spelling Smith once a week or so will fall to someone else.
Atlanta, which went through several backup catchers while Sean Murphy was dealing with injuries this season, has a long-term backstop of its own in Rookie of the Year winner Drake Baldwin. It’s unlikely Robinson would have made an impact if he’d stayed, but it remains to be seen whether his journey will lead him back to the big leagues elsewhere.
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