The Braves signed DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to a minor league contract in December, according to the outfielder’s MLB.com profile page. Keirsey became a free agent after the Twins designated him for assignment and then non-tendered him in November.
After making his MLB debut in the form of six games with Minnesota in 2024, Keirsey got a longer look in the Show last year, appearing in 74 games. This still translated to only 88 plate appearances, as Keirsey was used almost exclusively as a late-game defensive substitute, or as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter. Keirsey hit only .107/.138/.179 with two home runs over his 88 PA, and he stole 10 bases in 13 attempts.
The 28-year-old Keirsey has shown a lot more at the plate in the minors, including a .284/.363/.448 slash line, 19 homers, and 51 steals (in 58 attempts) over 186 games and 818 PA at the Triple-A level. Keirsey has also backed up this offense and speed with his ability to play all three outfield spots, with much of his minor league work coming in center field. Mitigating this skillset is the fact that Keirsey has been prone to strikeouts, and at age 28, he would be a late bloomer if he did emerge as a quality contributor to a big league roster.
A fourth-round pick for Minnesota in the 2018 draft, Keirsey will now change teams for the first time in his career and look to compete for a backup role on Atlanta’s Opening Day roster. There’s no downside for the Braves in taking a flier on Keirsey, even if the club is becoming increasingly deep in outfield options. Besides the regulars like Ronald Acuna Jr., Michael Harris II, Jurickson Profar, and the newly-signed Mike Yastrzemski, the Braves also have Eli White and utilityman Mauricio Dubon lined up for bench duty, and Ben Gamel and Brewer Hicklen will also be in camp on minors deals.