How Acquired
Carlos was signed by the Braves as a minor league free agent following the end of the 2024 season and his release from the Milwaukee Brewers organization.
What Were Expectations?
Carlos was immediately
inserted in many of the Braves Top 30 charts because of his skill set and promise as a Brewers prospect – with some tools that deserved that praise. He is an extremely high contact player with a very promising walk rate which paints the picture of a player that should have high on-base potential. His slightly above to league average speed he also projected to provide solid defense in the outfield. So with all of that considered – Carlos entered the season as one of the Braves top positional prospects with eyes on him potentially impacting Atlanta.
2025 Results
After starting the season red hot in Columbus where he hit .341/.404/.366 and a 133 wRC+, Carlos looked exactly like the player the Braves had hoped he would be, and with the suspension of Jurickson Profar, and struggles of Jarred Kelenic, Carlos inserted himself into discussion on a potential Atlanta spot. The Braves liked what they saw, and promoted him to Triple-A Gwinnett where he regressed a bit, especially towards the end of the season. On the whole, Carlos played 128 games with Gwinnett where he slashed .247/.317/.323 with 17 stolen bases. He made contact on 93% of the pitches he swung at inside the zone, and had a swinging strike percentage of just 6.8%. Despite all of that contact, he ended up quite unlucky on the season, with the second lowest BABIP of his career (.272).
What Went Right?
The first half of the season was fantastic for Carlos. Across 73 games Carlos hit .300/.365/.348 – good for a .714 OPS. With the understanding that Carlos is contact first with little power, a .714 OPS is in line with what you would expect for a player of his skill set. He struck out just 37 times, and walked 29 times and there was a lot of buzz about his skill set for an Atlanta team struggling to get players on base.
What Went Wrong?
The second half of the season saw Carlos really struggle. Over the seasons final 65 games, Carlos hit just .204/.278/.302. We saw a small uptick in power, especially towards the end of the season, as he hit 6 homers but his .580 OPS saw him slide down the Gwinnett lineup card. He was extremely unlucky as his BABIP dipped all the way down to .215 during those final 65 games.
2026 Outlook
2026 all depends on one thing – will the Braves tender Carlos another contract. He was signed to a 1 year deal last year so he’s going to be a free agent once again. If he comes back, there’s still a potential for a bench role because of his superb contact rate, ability to get on base, and ability to play multiple positions in the outfield.
