As the Atlanta Braves make preparations for postseason baseball, constructing the optimal roster will be an important task in the days ahead. While the pitching staff is likely to garner the most attention, filling out the position players with useful reserves will give manager Walt Weiss more buttons to push in late and close situations.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. could be the man to fill Atlanta’s need for speed.
The 29-year-old veteran outfielder spent seven seasons in the Minnesota Twins organization
after being selected in the fourth round of the 2018 draft out of the University of Utah. Keirsey made his major league debut in 2024 and then appeared in 74 games with the Twins last season, batting just .107 in 88 plate appearances but swiping 10 bases in 13 attempts.
The Braves signed Keirsey as a free-agent over the winter to add depth to the Triple-A Gwinnett roster and stash someone with a very particular set of skills in the organization should they need to call upon an experienced stolen base threat at some point this season.
Keirsey’s bat may not make much of an impact, but his speed and base-running ability are a completely different story. His 28.5 feet/sec sprint speed according to Statcast data ranked in the 81st percentile a year ago, bringing an element to the Atlanta bench that was missing with the departures of Eli White and Jorge Mateo, two of the fastest runners in MLB.
After swiping 40 bases in 43 attempts for Gwinnett, Keirsey has a chance to bring that same prowess to the big league team at a critical time of year. He could fill a role similar to the one that veteran speedster Terrance Gore held for Atlanta in 2021.
A professional pinch runner, Gore possessed 99th percentile sprint speed (29.9 ft/sec), stole 324 bases in the minors and then went 43-of-52 in stolen base attempts despite logging just 85 plate appearances during his eight-year career. Because of his speed, Gore was carried on the postseason roster by four clubs. He swiped five bases in six tries in the playoffs and won World Series rings with the Kansas City Royals and the Braves.
With most of the regulars etched in stone for Atlanta, the flexibility to carry the speedy Keirsey among their 13 position players on the postseason roster is intriguing. He has appeared in three games this month and scored three times, including a game-tying and game-winning run.
“Every time we put him in a game, he seems to score a big run,” Weiss said. “We know how that works in the postseason. Every 90 feet is really valuable, so it’s nice to have a guy like that who’s had a lot of success stealing bases. When you’ve got a guy that knows how to steal a base, knows how to run the bases, and has been in the big leagues before, it’s a nice piece to have.”
The Braves still have time to make their final roster decisions before Tuesday’s Wild Card round, but Keirsey’s name is on the short list to fill out the bench. Weiss stopped short of calling it a sure thing, but he knows the importance of having a player with great base-running value is magnified at a time when every run matters.
“Possibly,” Weiss said of Keirsey playing the Gore role this year. “It’s nice to have that when you need it. You don’t always need that, but when the time comes, as we’ve seen in a few games this year, it’s nice to have.”
Here’s my conversation with Keirsey ahead of Atlanta’s final regular season series.
Grant McAuley: “As you went into last off-season, what drew you to Atlanta, or did the Braves pursue you fairly quickly?”
DeShawn Keirsey Jr.: “Yeah, when I cleared waivers, Atlanta was the first team, I think like the day after, to contact my agents, I didn’t sign right away. I waited a month and a half or so, talking to my agents and going over some of our options. I just thought Atlanta was the best fit, just looking at the roster construction and things like that. I was just looking at guys who were on the team, guys like Eli White. He’s a similar athlete to me and had somewhat of the same career path in a sense. Things just really aligned for me.”
GM: “Walk me through the process of finding your next team. Obviously, you get drafted, you go out and play, you make it to the big leagues, and then the road can take you a lot of different places in a lot of different ways. What was it like moving on from your first club and looking for that next opportunity?”
DK: “It was definitely different. Obviously, it was the first time I’ve experienced that, being drafted, coming up, and debuting with the Twins. So, this was the first time I really had not necessarily my career in my hands, but just an option of where I may want to go next. Just looking at and weighing all the options led me here.”
GM: “Once you got the chance to get settled in in Gwinnett, that was a pretty good team with a lot of guys who’ve had some big league time as well. A lot of those guys made their way up here. What was it like playing with that group? Because it seemed like from what I was able to see that it was a pretty fun group to play with.”
DK: “Yeah, it was definitely a veteran group, especially for a Triple-A roster. You had guys at different points of the year that had 10-plus years of big league service, so it’s cool just to be around those guys and see how they went about their business. We had guys who have had sustained success in the big leagues, so it was just cool to be around them every day and get to learn from them.”
GM: “One of the other things about changing organizations is that you get to go to a new place and they may have looked at different parts of your game and can help you maybe elevate some different things, change some things, make some adjustments. Was there anything that the Braves recognized or that you worked on in the winter that you were able to figure out and make some good adjustments that got you to Atlanta this year?”
DK: “One of the bigger big things was actually my first step in the outfield. Right away they came to me, like, ‘Hey, we think we could help improve this part of your game.’ And it actually was something I’ve known. I wouldn’t say it was a deficiency, but being in the outfield, I’ve always known I could make up ground. I guess you could say I always struggled, but my first step wasn’t the greatest and right away they said they think they could help with this. So, I went through Spring Training working on it and worked on it during the season. That was one of the bigger things for me that really stood out.”
GM: “And I’m sure that makes you feel like this is a team that took a look at what you’re doing and they’re already coming in with ideas. Now, I do want to talk about your speed, which is an element that you can bring late in a game. We’ve seen it a couple of times here in some really fun moments since you came up to Atlanta. What is it like waiting for your number to be called, and then jumping in at some of the most crucial times in the game and relying on one of your best skills?”
DK: “Yeah, it’s definitely different. Totally different than when you’re preparing before a game to start the game. My preparation is basically the same, other than I’m not in the starting lineup, but you still kind of go through the ebbs and flows throughout the game. And with my time being one of those bench role players, you learn a lot on the side, just watching guys and seeing situations play out.”
“But it’s been awesome, especially on this team, where you have a team full of guys who have had great success in the big leagues. I would say this is the best team in the big leagues right now, so it’s just a cool thing for me to be able to come up and help any way I can. Just kind of put that pride aside and be like, ‘You know what, this is my role and this is what I need to do to hopefully help this team win ball games and hopefully make a run in the postseason. So yeah, it’s been awesome and just being able to watch these guys go about their business has been amazing.”
GM: “I know Walt Weiss said that it takes all 26 or 28 guys at a given time that can step in and play a role. It takes the whole team to have the kind of success that the Braves are having this year. How much fun is it to jump into a pennant race, knowing that there’s some really exciting baseball ahead of you?”
DK: “It’s been amazing. I’ve got to give a lot of credit to the guys in the clubhouse and the staff. I haven’t been here long and done too much, but I’ve felt like a part of the team. I’ve never felt like I was on the outside, which has been awesome to experience. Guys treat me the exact same as if I was here all year and starting. But yeah, just to come in and join at this part of the season and hopefully help this team win games and just do what I can to help is great.”
“It’s just awesome to be a part of something like this. I think about college, my freshman year we won the Pac-12 championship. Now, obviously this is a lot different than that, but just being a part of something like that was amazing just being able to go at it with guys that you enjoy coming to the ballpark and seeing and working with every day.”
