The Atlanta Braves have signed infielder Charles Leblanc and catcher Yohel Pozo to minor league contracts, as reported in their transaction logs on MLB.com. Both players had chosen free agency earlier this offseason. Additionally, the Braves have added infielder Kobe Kato on a minor league deal, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
Leblanc spent his 28-year-old season with the Angels organization, where he posted a .254/.379/.437 line (108 wRC+) with 12 home runs and an impressive 16.4% walk rate in 98 Triple-A games. He also recorded 28 plate appearances in the majors, marking his second MLB stint after playing with Miami in 2022, during which he hit two home runs.
A fourth-round draft pick by the Rangers in 2016, Leblanc has a career batting average of .259/.364/.454 over parts of four seasons in Triple-A. In 197 big league games, he has a slash line of .254/.330/.412. Primarily a third baseman, he has also played more than 1,000 innings at second base and first base, along with 473 innings at shortstop and 376 in left field.
Pozo, who signed with the Rangers as an international free agent in 2013, spent the first seven years of his professional career in their minor league system. After testing minor league free agency following the 2020 season, he signed with the Padres but returned to the Rangers less than a month later after Texas selected him back in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft.
Pozo made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 2021, appearing in 21 games, primarily as a designated hitter, but also catching in a couple of games. He recorded a .284/.312/.378 batting line with one home run and nine RBIs. Now approaching 28 years old in June, he hasn’t played in the majors since but has performed well in recent seasons with Triple-A teams for the Rangers (2022) and A’s (2023-24), providing the Braves with added depth behind the plate after they parted ways with Travis d’Arnaud this offseason.
Kato, 25, was selected in the 13th round by the Astros in 2021. After being released by Houston early in 2024, he found a new chance with the independent York Revolution and advanced through three minor league levels, reaching Triple-A. In 135 minor league plate appearances last year, he hit .283/.393/.389 with one home run and eight stolen bases. Kato has primarily played second base in the minors but is also capable of covering shortstop, third base, and all three outfield positions.
Leave a Reply