The Braves and outfielder Ben Gamel have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The Wasserman client will presumably also receive an invite to big league camp in spring training.
Gamel, 34 in May, didn’t make it to the majors in 2025. That was the first time since 2015 that he didn’t appear in the show. He signed minor league deals with the Tigers and Angels but was limited by injuries to just 52 minor league contests. He put up a hearty .281/.402/.539 line in those games but didn’t get called up.
Over his big league career, he has generally been a decent hitter. In 2,320 plate appearances, he has a .252/.334/.382 line. That translates to a 96 wRC+, indicating he has been just 4% below league average overall. A lefty swinger, he’s been a bit better with the platoon advantage but doesn’t have massive splits. He has a 98 wRC+ against righties and an 88 wRC+ versus southpaws. He has experience at all three outfield slots and first base but is primarily a left fielder.
Atlanta currently projects to have an outfield alignment featuring Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II and Jurickson Profar. The designated hitter spot is open but will likely be used to rotate catchers Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin through there. Given Acuña’s injury history and Profar’s poor defense, they could also get some DH time, which could open up some outfield time.
Eli White and Michael Siani are on the roster and project for bench roles, with Vidal Bruján and Brett Wisely around as infielder/outfielders. Siani is optionable, so it’s possible Gamel could earn a bench job and push Siani into regular playing time in Triple-A. Even if Gamel doesn’t break camp with the club, he could head to Triple-A and be ready to come up in the event of an injury.
Photo courtesy of Erik Williams, Imagn Images