Braves, veteran infielder Ryan Goins agree to minors deal

Although the team never made a formal announcement, the Braves agreed to a minor-league pact with infielder Ryan Goins, as noted Baseball America’s Chris Hilburn-Trenkle in his latest roundup of minor league transactions. Goins is in camp and has collected two hits in six early spring plate appearances.

Goins, 33, has seen MLB time in parts of eight seasons, mostly with the Blue Jays but also with the Royals in 2018 and the White Sox from 2019-20. He’s never been much of a threat at the plate, as evidenced by a career .228/.278/.333 batting line in 1,690 plate appearances at the MLB level, but Goins is a versatile defender with strong ratings at several positions. The bulk of his MLB work has come at second base (25 Defensive Runs Saved in 2,095 innings), but he’s also graded out well at shortstop (7 DRS in 1,460 innings) and at third base (average in 299 innings). Goins has seen brief stints in the outfield corners and at first base as well.

The Braves’ infield and bench is largely set, with Austin Riley slated for significant time at third base and both Jake Lamb and Johan Camargo behind him. Former Twins and Giants infielder Ehire Adrianza is in camp on a non-roster deal, vying for a spot as well. There may not be a clear path to a roster spot for Goins at the moment, but stashing Goins at their alternate site/Triple-A to begin the season would give the Braves some additional cover at multiple infield spots in the event of an injury on the MLB roster.