Braves bring back '21 NLCS hero Rosario, option Kelenic

DENVER -- The Braves made a flurry of roster moves on Monday, including signing an old friend and postseason hero for a third stint with the team.

In the most notable move, Atlanta signed lefty-hitting outfielder Eddie Rosario to a Major League contract and optioned struggling outfielder Jarred Kelenic to Triple-A Gwinnett. The team also designated for assignment right-hander Zach Thompson to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

“Eddie's a veteran guy, and you know, we're going to give Eli [White] some runs,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “So I think it'd be good for Jared to go back and play, get at-bats. And Eddie can come here and maybe handle some of the left-handed pinch-hitting. He's done that before, been very successful at it. So it's good to get an experienced guy like that.”

Rosario, who played for the Braves from 2021-23 and then again briefly in '24, was instrumental in the team's run to the 2021 World Series title, winning NLCS MVP honors after hitting .560 (14-for-25) with three home runs and nine RBIs in that series against the Dodgers.

Snitker said he expected to use Rosario primarily off the bench.

“We don't pinch-hit a lot,” Snitker said. “So I told him, ‘You just got to be ready to go and do anything that we ask.’ We're running him around in the outfield and working out. He's had some big pinch-hits for us in the past. So, hopefully, he can do that again.”

Rosario signed a Minor League contract with the Dodgers before this season, but he was designated for assignment on April 20 after just four big league plate appearances, going 1-for-4 across two games, April 18 and 19.

“It's good to be back with teammates, coaches, obviously people I'm familiar with,” Rosario said through interpreter Franco Garcia. “We've had a lot of good moments here. There's always highs and lows, but I'm thankful to be here right now.”

Kelenic, once a highly touted prospect, has not found consistency at the MLB level. In his second year with the Braves, he's hitting .167 with a .531 OPS and a career-high 35.4% strikeout rate in 23 games this season.

“He just needs to get playing time,” Snitker said. “Eli has done really well. Had great at-bats. He's a skilled guy. And Jared has got options, so he can go back down and play. We'll probably run him around all the outfield positions and get him regular at-bats. That'll be good for him.”

Atlanta also added righty Ian Anderson to the big league team after claiming him off waivers on Sunday. The club optioned righty Davis Daniel to Triple-A to clear a spot on the active roster. The Braves traded Anderson to the Angels at the end of Spring Training, but he was DFA'd by the Halos last week.

“I've watched a couple of games that he threw (for the Angels), and right now he can provide some length for us out of the bullpen and just see kind of where he fits in,” Snitker said.

Anderson is well-known in Atlanta for his success during the 2020 and '21 postseasons, the latter of which saw him pitch five hitless, scoreless innings in Game 3 of the World Series. He went 22-13 for Atlanta over three seasons, making 52 starts and posting a 3.97 ERA.

“This is like home to me,” Anderson said of his return to the Braves. “I was in Spring Training with all these guys. So it feels great coming back here. There's so much familiarity. I’m going to be trying to tap into more of the positive results I've had this year and just get things going.”

Anderson pitched in seven games for the Angels, all out of the bullpen. He gave up 12 earned runs in 9 1/3 innings for an 11.57 ERA with seven walks and eight strikeouts.

“I felt pretty good about where my stuff was at,” Anderson said of his brief stint with the Angels. “I was giving up a lot of hits, but I felt like I was attacking the zone a lot better than in Spring Training, and my delivery and arm felt a lot better.”

Before this year, Anderson never had pitched in relief in the big leagues.

“The more reps I get, the more comfortable I'll feel,” Anderson said of the challenges of the bullpen. “I was starting to hone in on a routine, and that's good for me.”