The Braves announced this morning that they’ve activated outfielder Stuart Fairchild from the injured list. Outfielder Jose Azocar was designated for assignment to make room for Fairchild on the active roster. They also activated infielder Nacho Alvarez from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Azocar, 29, departs Atlanta after getting into just two games and making a single plate appearance during his time with the club. Azocar made his big league debut with the Padres back in 2022 and appeared in 214 games at the big league level over the 2022-24 seasons, slashing .243/.287/.322 (74 wRC+) in 397 plate appearances along the way. That lackluster offensive production wasn’t enough to earn him a regular role on the club even in spite of his strong work with the glove in center field, where he accumulated +5 Outs Above Average during his time in San Diego. He’s performed better at the Triple-A level with a career .286/.322/.434 line in parts of five seasons spent at the level, but the outfielder’s speed and defense first profile ultimately made him expendable when San Diego faced a roster crunch late last year.
He was designated for assignment in September, but found himself claimed off waivers by the Mets shortly thereafter. He managed to stick on New York’s 40-man roster all throughout the offseason, but failed to make the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training and was designated for assignment shortly before the season began. He was assigned outright to the minors after clearing waivers, and found himself selected back onto the roster in mid-April after the club lost Jose Siri to the injured list. Azocar stuck on the club’s roster for six weeks but received just 20 total plate appearances across 12 games while being utilized primarily as a defensive replacement.
He hit a respectable enough .278/.350/.278 (88 wRC+) in that limited playing time but was designated for assignment in late May to make room for Jared Young on New York’s active roster. He cleared waivers once again and elected free agency before being scooped up by Atlanta almost immediately. The Braves will now have one week to either work out a trade involving Azocar or attempt to pass him through waivers. Should he go unclaimed, he’ll be able to either accept an outright assignment to the minors or elect free agency.
Azocar’s departure makes room for the return of Fairchild, who was placed on the shelf with a dislocated pinkie finger the same day Atlanta signed Azocar. Fairchild bounced between the Diamondbacks, Mariners, and Giants for a few years before settling with the Reds in 2022. He spent parts of three seasons with Cincinnati and was traded to Atlanta after he didn’t make the cut for the Reds’ Opening Day roster. Fairchild hasn’t hit much for the Braves this year with a .182/.250/.273 line in 36 plate appearances but is a career .247/.345/.407 hitter against lefties, which should make him a solid platoon partner for Alex Verdugo in left field going forward.