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By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Atlanta Braves' winter of roster turnover continued on Wednesday, as a utility player who once looked to be primed for a spot on the opening day roster left the organization altogether.
Vidal Bruján, whom the Braves claimed off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles in August, played in 24 games for the Braves down the stretch. His numbers weren't spectacular, but the Braves seemed to like having him as a switch-hitting utility option, or essentially the baseball equivalent of a Swiss Army knife.
However, once the Braves traded for utility man Mauricio Dubón and re-signed shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, it became clear that Bruján's spot had been filled, and it wasn't all that surprising to see him designated for assignment on Thursday. If the Braves were hoping he'd remain in the organization, that dream came to a close on Wednesday.
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According to the official Major League Baseball transactions log, the Minnesota Twins claimed Bruján off waivers on Wednesday. In a corresponding transaction, Minnesota designated catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper for assignment.
It's the continuation of a journeyman trajectory for Bruján, who was once a top prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. After three years of struggling to break into the Rays lineup, Bruján appeared in at least one game for four different teams over the last two seasons: the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Orioles, and Braves.
In 262 career major league games, Bruján has slashed .199/.267/.276, with five home runs, 48 RBIs, and 76 runs scored. His positional versatility is a selling point, but he hasn't provided much help on the basepaths, stealing just 16 bases while being caught 14 times.
Now 27 years old, Bruján is hoping that the Twins, who plundered their roster at the trade deadline, will give him more of a chance to stick on the major-league roster than Atlanta would have. Keeping his spot on the 40-man roster by virtue of the waiver claim was a good place to start.
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