ATLANTA -- One day after revealing their starting shortstop Ha-Seong Kim will be sidelined though half of May and possibly into June, the Braves signed Jorge Mateo to a one-year deal.
Mateo hit the free-agent market after hitting .177 with one homer and a .483 OPS in 43 games for the Orioles last year. The 30-year-old infielder has a .629 OPS over the 1,411 plate appearances he has collected dating back to his 2020 debut season with the Padres. He can also play every outfield position and he has spent time at second base, but he has been used primarily as a shortstop.
The expectation is that Mauricio Dubón will be the Braves primary shortstop in Kim’s absence, and Mateo will serve as his backup.
Braves manager Walt Weiss will have multiple speed options on his bench with projected backup outfielder Eli White and Mateo, who has been successful on 84.1 (95-for-113) percent of his stolen base attempts going back to 2022, when he tallied 35 steals for Baltimore.
Kim, who signed a one-year $20 million deal in December, slipped on ice in his native South Korea last week and underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon in his right middle finger on Sunday. The 30-year-old veteran will need four to five months of recovery. So, even with a best-case scenario, he’ll miss the regular season’s first six weeks.
The Braves have been counting on Dubón’s tremendous defensive versatility. Mateo’s presence will allow Dubón to make late-inning moves to other positions if necessary.
For instance, if left fielder Mike Yastrzemski is pinch-hit for against a left-handed reliever, Dubón could shift to left field and Mateo could fill the shortstop role.