HEADLINE

Braves obtain Jorge Soler from Royals

Field Level Media

July 30, 2021 at 9:05 pm.

The Atlanta Braves acquired outfielder Jorge Soler from the Kansas City Royals on Friday in exchange for minor league right-hander Kasey Kalich.

Soler is batting just .192 this season but has 13 home runs. Two seasons ago, he led the American League with 48 blasts.

The addition of Soler gives the Braves another outfield bat after losing All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. to a major knee injury earlier this month.

Soler, 29, has a .243 career average with 107 homers and 310 RBIs in 606 games over eight seasons with the Chicago Cubs (2014-16) and Royals (2017-21).

Atlanta also added a key bullpen piece by acquiring right-hander Richard Rodriguez from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for right-handers Bryse Wilson and Ricky DeVito.

Rodriguez recorded 14 saves in 37 appearances this season for the Pirates and was 4-2 with a 2.82 ERA. He had 33 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings.

Wilson, 23, was 2-3 with a 4.83 ERA in seven starts with the Braves this season.

The 22-year-old DeVito is currently on the injured list. He was 0-3 with a 2.66 ERA in five starts for Class-A Rome prior to the injury.

Kalich, 23, was 0-2 with a 3.26 ERA in 20 relief appearances for Rome.

Pittsburgh also traded left-hander Austin Davis to the Boston Red Sox for infielder Michael Chavis.

Chavis, 25, batted .190 with two homers and six RBIs in 31 games with Boston this season. The 28-year-old Davis was 0-1 with a 5.59 ERA in 10 relief appearances for Pittsburgh.