The Braves announced the signing of infielder Jake Lamb on Tuesday. Lamb signed a $1 million non-guaranteed, major-league deal for the 2021 season.
Lamb gives the Braves left-handed power off their bench. He also has the flexibility of playing third or first base. The team was seeking bench reinforcements and has assembled an interesting mix of veterans competing for jobs. Lamb is joined by Jason Kipnis, Johan Camargo, Pablo Sandoval and others in the competition.
Lamb, 30, played for the Diamondbacks and A’s last season. He was productive in his brief Oakland stint, hitting .267/.327/.556 with three homers and nine RBIs in 13 games. Lamb was an All-Star in 2017, hitting 30 homers with 105 RBIs, but injuries have derailed his career since.
“The reports are really good,” manager Brian Snitker said. “That’s one of the reasons we signed him. Analytically, talking to (general manager) Alex (Anthopoulos), they really liked some of the changes he made offensively. He looks great. I haven’t seen him in a while because we hadn’t played Arizona, but he’s a lot bigger than I remember. I’ve liked him ever since the first time I saw him. He looks healthy and he looked good today doing all the drills. I’m excited about getting Jake in camp and getting to know him.”
If Lamb continues what he showed in Oakland, he should be a big boost to the Braves’ bench, which is among the franchise’s biggest question marks entering the season.
“He’s had success,” Snitker said. “Hopefully we get him in here and he gets an opportunity to have another big year.”
The Braves designated left-hander Phil Pfeifer for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. The team also claimed outfielder Phillip Ervin off waivers Monday after sending utilityman Travis Demeritte outright to Triple-A Gwinnett.
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