The Atlanta Braves announced today that they have signed utility player Jorge Mateo to a one-year deal. The Movement Baseball client gets a $1MM guarantee, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. Atlanta opened a 40-man roster last week when José Suarez was put on waivers and claimed by the Orioles. This move gets them back to a full 40-man roster.
It is probably not a coincidence that Atlanta is signing a shortstop-capable player one day after the unfortunate Ha-Seong Kim news. Atlanta announced yesterday that Kim hurt his hand, reportedly from slipping on ice, in South Korea. He underwent surgery in Atlanta to repair a torn tendon in his right middle finger. He is expected to miss four to five months, meaning he will be out for a decent chunk of the first half of the upcoming season.
Kim was previously slated to be the club’s everyday shortstop, with Mauricio Dubón in a multi-positional bench role. Kim’s injury suddenly vaulted Dubón up to being the club’s everyday shortstop, which would be a bit of a stretch for him. He has played the position in 107 games in his career, logging 721 innings, but last year’s 33 contests were a career high.