ATLANTA (AP) — Adam Duvall is returning for another stint with the Atlanta Braves, who signed the slugging outfielder on Thursday to a $3 million deal for the 2024 season.
The 35-year-old Duvall is expected to platoon in left field with newcomer Jarred Kelenic, who has struggled in spring training after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners.
Kelenic had just three hits in 34 at-bats through Wednesday, with three RBIs, one stolen base and nine strikeouts. With it becoming apparent that the left-handed hitter wasn’t ready to handle the job on a regular basis, the Braves found a solid right-handed option.
Duvall hit .247 with 21 homers and 58 RBIs last season with the Boston Red Sox. He played in just 92 games, missing two months after fracturing his left wrist attempting to make a diving catch.
This will be Duvall’s third stint with the Braves. He is best known for playing a key role in the team’s run to the 2021 World Series title after being acquired from Miami in one of several deals ahead of the trade deadline that helped Atlanta rebuild its injury ravaged outfield.
That season, Duvall topped 30 homers for the third time in his career, led the NL with 113 RBIs and won a Gold Glove Award.
After stints in San Francisco and Cincinnati, Duvall first joined the Braves in a 2018 trade with the Reds.
He signed as a free agent with the Marlins before the ’21 season, only to return to Atlanta at midseason.
Duvall signed with Boston last season and had four homers and 14 RBIs in his first eight games before his injury on April 9 at Detroit. He didn’t return until June 9, but still managed to eclipse 20 homers for the fifth time in his 10-year career.
Among players with at least 300 at-bats, he ranked eighth in the AL with a home run every 15.24 at-bats.
Kelenic, a former first-round pick of the New York Mets who has struggled to live up his hype, was one of the major acquisitions by the Braves during the offseason, picked up from cost-cutting Seattle in a five-player deal.
The Braves had planned to play Kelenic on an everyday basis, but his struggles in spring training made them reconsider. With Duvall on board, Atlanta can be more patient with the 24-year-old, limiting his appearances against left-handed pitching.
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