The Braves have signed infielder Charles Leblanc to a minor league contract, as noted in MLB.com’s transaction logs. Leblanc had entered free agency earlier this offseason. Additionally, Atlanta has brought on infielder Kobe Kato with a minor league deal, per MLBTR’s sources.
Leblanc, at age 28, played the past season in the Angels organization, posting a .254/.379/.437 slash line (108 wRC+) with 12 home runs and an impressive 16.4% walk rate over 98 Triple-A games. He also made 28 plate appearances in the majors—his second stint in the big leagues, following his 2022 season with Miami—where he hit two home runs in that brief sample.
Originally selected by the Rangers in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, Leblanc holds a career .259/.364/.454 batting line across parts of four Triple-A seasons. In the majors, he has hit .254/.330/.412 over 197 games. While primarily a third baseman, Leblanc has also logged over 1,000 innings at both second and first base, along with 473 innings at shortstop and 376 in left field.
Kato, 25, was selected by the Astros in the 13th round of the 2021 draft. Released by Houston early in 2024, he joined the independent York Revolution before earning a new opportunity with the Mariners. He quickly advanced through three minor league levels, reaching Triple-A. Last year, Kato posted a .283/.393/.389 line with a home run and eight steals across 135 minor league plate appearances. Primarily a second baseman, he also has experience at shortstop, third base, and all three outfield positions.
An earlier version of this post indicated that the Braves had signed catcher Yohel Pozo, based on MLB.com’s transaction logs. MLBTR has since confirmed that Pozo remains a free agent and regrets the mistake.
