Things haven’t gone well for the Atlanta Braves and the hits that they’ve more hits off the field than they’ve had on it this season.
The Braves season started to go haywire when Sean Murphy fractured a rib in Spring Training and got worse when Jurickson Profar was slapped with a suspension amid Atlanta’s horrid start. Not even the return of Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. could save the Braves and it has them playing out the string in the final weeks.
Atlanta hit another wall when third baseman Austin Riley was placed on the injured list this week with a lower abdominal strain. While the Braves are out of the chase for a postseason spot, they still needed to get a replacement and they were able to find that player on the waiver wire.
The #Braves today claimed INF Vidal Bruján off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 8, 2025
Braves Claim IF Vidal Bruján off Waivers to Replace Austin Riley
The Braves announced on Friday that they have claimed infielder Vidal Bruján from the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles were looking to pass Buján through waivers as he was out of minor league options, but Atlanta pounced on the opportunity to add another infielder in the wake of Riley’s injury.
Buján has had a tour of the majors in recent years as he’s played for the Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins and Chicago Cubs before landing in Baltimore via waiver claim. The 27-year-old was a former top prospect and reached as high as 45th on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects list in 2020. But he hasn’t lived up to the hype, hitting .138/.260/.273 with five homers, 43 RBI and 16 stolen bases on 30 attempts over 238 career games in the major leagues.
While that resume isn’t surprising, the Braves are desperate for infield help. Several players have had disappointing seasons including Riley, who’s OPS+ of 105 was his lowest since he posted an 86 during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Ozzie Albies’s 77 OPS+ is also a career low and Atlanta has had a black hole at shortstop led by Nick Allen’s .227/.296/.257 batter’s line this season.
With positional versatility, Bruján could be a valuable addition to come off the Braves bench. But judging on his underwhelming major league career, he could be a player that’s not in Atlanta for long.