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Atlanta Braves Re-Sign First Baseman to Minor-League Deal
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- Atlanta Braves Re-Sign First Baseman to Minor-League Deal
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Rowdy Tellez has struggled to find long-term stability on an MLB roster following his departure from the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021, where he spent the early stages of his career.
He has bounced across the league since then, spending stints with the Milwaukee Brewers , Pittsburgh Pirates , Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers before signing with the Atlanta Braves this season on Mar. 20.
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His time as a Brave is not going the way he planned, though. After playing in just seven games so far, he only recorded four RBI, two hits and a single home run. He is also hitting a career-low .200.
Now, Atlanta hopes the 31-year-old journeyman can turn things around after both parties found a way to keep him with the ball club.
Tellez showed significant promise during his rookie season with Toronto in 2018, batting a career-best .314 while also recording a .329 on-base percentage, 14 RBI and 22 hits. Most notably, he went 3-for-4 at the plate and hit .404 during Toronto's 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sept. 22 that year.
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Nonetheless, he saw some inconsistency in subsequent seasons, batting .227 and .283 followed by a steep drop-off to .209, prompting the team's decision to ship him to Milwaukee for more pitching depth in Trevor Richards and Bowden Francis .
A resurgence seemed likely when Tellez improved to hitting .242 and combining for a total of 11 home runs after switching uniforms. He went on to peak in his first full season with the Brewers, reaching highs of 116 hits, 89 RBI, 67 runs and 35 home runs.
Unfortunately, the hot streak did not last in 2023 when he batted .215 while only hitting 13 home runs and logged 47 RBI. As a result, Tellez would be forced to find a new home once again.
In 2024, he batted .243 for Pittsburgh while tallying 93 hits and 56 RBI. Tellez had a solid July when he hit five home runs and logged 14 RBI and 10 runs, which helped provide a crucial spark that led to the Pirates' 14-2 blowout win over the New York Mets .
Rowdy Tellez's grand slam (7) | 07/05/2024
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The stars still did not align for Tellez when the squad released him a couple months later. His Seattle tenure in 2025 was also short-lived as he hit .208 and recorded just 27 RBI, 36 hits and 20 runs.
Things did not get much better for him in Texas. Even though he finished 2025 hitting .259, he hit only six home runs and recorded 30 hits.
Going into his first day back with the Braves, Tellez will look to not only prove he still belongs in baseball, but also provide the squad with decent insurance for Matt Olson .
