The Braves have signed veteran infielder Pablo Sandoval to a minor-league contract and will assign him to their alternate training site, Jon Heyman reports.
Sandoval, 34, was recently placed on release waivers by the Giants, the team with whom he won three World Series titles. The switch-hitter in 2020 batted .220/.278/.268 with one home run in 33 games for San Francisco.
This season, he's primarily served at DH while also seeing time at third base and first. For his career, Sandoval owns an OPS+ of 112 across parts of 13 big-league seasons. Sandoval's career seemed to be over after the Red Sox let him go during the 2017 season despite still being owed almost $50 million. However, Sandoval enjoyed a modest renaissance with the Giants, particularly in 2018 and 2019.
With the first-place Braves, Sandoval figures to provide depth at DH and the infield corners. Third base has been one of the Braves' weaker positions this season, and Sandoval, who's long been better from the left side of the plate, would form the primary half of a platoon at third, assuming he can handle the defensive duties at this stage of his career.
