Former Atlanta Braves infielder Vidal Bruján was claimed off waivers today by the Minnesota Twins. He has been designated for assignment by the Braves on January 8, 2026.
Atlanta claimed Bruján, 27, off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on August 8, 2025, just days after he’d been claimed off waivers from the Chicago Cubs. He appeared in 23 games for the Braves, posting a .679 OPS, while appearing at shortstop, third base and right field. He also pitched in two games.
Since debuting for the Tampa
Bay Rays in 2021, the light-hitting utility man has appeared at every position other than catcher with extensive experience on the infield and in the outfield.
Bruján was designed for assignment the day before fellow utility man Brett Wisely was also DFA’d by the Braves and later traded to the Rays. Despite the off-season addition of Mauricio Dubón, who is a two-time Gold Glove winner as a utility player, this move thins out Atlanta’s infield depth.
With the assumed starting infield of Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Ha-Seong Kim and Austin Riley, Dubón projects to be the only established middle infielder to be a lock on the 26-man roster. Outfielder Eli White spent time on the dirt last Spring Training and could serve as an emergency option. Outfielder Jurickson Profar was once a highly-regarded prospect with a significant amount of MLB experience on the infield, but the defensively-challenged outfielder is years removed from being a regular infielder.
While Bruján nor Wisely now factor into Atlanta’s plans for 2026, both were viable options for the team’s final bench spot. Nacho Alvarez, Jr. is likely to need to play every day in Gwinnett, although he would be an option should an injury arise.
At Gwinnett, the team has Jim Jarvis, Aaron Schunk and former 5th round pick Luke Waddell as possible options, but none have prior MLB experience. Atlanta could also look to add a player or two with middle infield experience to provide some additional depth during Spring Training. Former Braves infielder/outfielder/pitcher Luke Williams is still a free agent a could also be brought in on a minor league deal.
