Roughly three hours before the series finale of a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, the Atlanta Braves announced that they designated outfielder José Azócar for assignment.
Atlanta DFA’d Azócar to make room for outfielder Eli White, who has been reinstated from the paternity list.
Atlanta Braves Designate 5-Year MLB Player For Assignment During Pirates Series
GettyJose Azocar has been removed from the Atlanta Braves roster.
Azócar hit .253/.389/.471 in 18 plate appearances across 11 games for the Braves this season. This is the third time this year the Braves have DFA’d the outfielder. The first two times, he cleared waivers and Atlanta outrighted him to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Azócar elected free agency both times the Braves outrighted him, then later re-signed with the organization on minor-league deals.
Azócar has five years of big-league experience. He made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres in 2022. In three seasons with the Padres, Azócar slashed .243/.287/.322 with two home runs, 21 RBI and 18 stolen bases.
The New York Mets claimed Azócar off waivers from the Padres on Sept. 5, 2024. He appeared in just 12 games with New York, collecting five hits in 20 plate appearances.
Azócar, 30, elected free agency after being DFA’d and then released by the Mets in May 2025. The Braves then signed the outfielder to a minor-league deal.
Azócar appeared in just two games with the Braves in 2025. Atlanta DFA’d the outfielder and he went back to the Mets organization on a minor-league deal in June 2025 before rejoining the Braves organization in the offseason.
Defensively, Azócar has recorded +2 Defensive Runs Saved and +8 Outs Above Average over 1,112 innings in the majors.
White had been on the paternity list since July 6. The outfielder is hitting .218/.269/.382 with four home runs and 15 RBI this season.
White, 32, has been with the Braves organization since 2023. In 199 career games with Atlanta, White has hit .229/.275/.391 with 15 homers and 54 RBI. While he isn’t a great hitter at the big-league level, he’s a known strong defender, with +8 DRS over 274 2/3 innings this season.
Atlanta Braves Right Now
After a disappointing, injury-riddled 2025 season in which they missed the playoffs, the Braves have been one of the best teams in the majors this year with a 53-38 record. Atlanta is in first place in the National League East, holding a three-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies (51-42) and Miami Marlins (51-42).
Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals (48-46) are 6 1/2 games back as the fourth team in the division standings, and the Mets (39-54) are 15 games back in last place.
Even though the Braves are having a good season, they have been in a bit of a rut lately, losing 10 of their last 15 games. Like last season, they are dealing with multiple injuries. Ronald Acuña Jr., Spencer Strider, Martín Pérez, Ha-Seong Kim, Sean Murphy and other key players are currently on the injured list.
The series finale between the Braves and Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh is scheduled to begin at 12:35 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Right-hander Bryce Elder is slated to start for the Braves, while right-hander Mitch Keller is scheduled to start for the Pirates. The game will be available to watch on BravesVision.
Atlanta Braves DFA 5-Year MLB Player During Pirates Series