Carlos Santana's stint in the Braves organization is over. Jeff Passan reported the veteran first baseman is being granted his release from Triple-A Gwinnett and will re-enter free agency, still hunting for a big league roster spot as the calendar turns toward September.
Veteran first baseman Carlos Santana will be granted his release from Triple-A Gwinnett today and will be a free agent, sources tell ESPN. He's still looking to play and hopes to latch on with a team after hitting .292/.385/.382 with a pair of home runs in 104 plate appearances.
This is the second time this season Santana's found himself searching for a home. He was designated for assignment by the Diamondbacks in June after hitting an ugly.083/.154/.125 in just 26 plate appearances, a brutal stretch for a guy who's spent 16 years in the big leagues. Atlanta scooped him up on a minor league deal not long after and sent him to Gwinnett to see if there was still something left in the tank.
Turns out there was. Per Passan, Santana hit.292/.385/.382 with 2 home runs across 104 plate appearances at Triple-A — a real bounce-back after the disaster in Arizona. Problem is, none of that mattered for a roster spot in Atlanta. Matt Olson has first base locked down, and with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Dominic Smith already occupying DH duties, there was simply nowhere to put a switch-hitting first baseman who doesn't play the field much anymore.
Santana's journeyman phase has been in full swing since 2023 — Pirates, Brewers, Twins, Guardians, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and now a brief Braves cameo, six organizations in three-plus years. It's a far cry from his prime with Cleveland, where he made the All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger in 2019, batting.281 with 34 homers and 93 RBIs that season. He's still 324 home runs and over 2,000 games into a career that's produced more walks than any active player in baseball.
At 40, the margin for error is thin, but the Triple-A numbers give Santana something to sell to contenders looking for a left-handed bat off the bench or a platoon piece down the stretch. Whether anyone bites with a month-plus left in the season is the next thing to watch.