Braves Announce Signing of Outfielder Marcell Ozuna

ATLANTA – The Atlanta Braves today signed OF Marcell Ozuna to a one-year contract worth $18 million. The Braves now have 40 players on the club’s 40-man roster.

St. Louis Cardinals’ Marcell Ozuna rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Ozuna, 29, spent 2019 with St. Louis, his second season with the Cardinals. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, batted .241 (117-for-485) with 29 home runs and a .800 OPS in 130 games, while his hard-hit percentage of 49.2% ranked 15th highest among all qualifying major leaguers, according to Statcast.

He spent time on the 10-day injured list with fractured fingers on his right hand, missing 28 games, June 29-August 2. He was injured while sliding into first base on a pick-off attempt, June 28 at San Diego.

He hit .324 (12-for-37) in nine postseason games, including .429 (9-for-21) with two home runs in St. Louis’ five-game NLDS win over Atlanta.

A two-time All-Star in 2016 and 2017 with Miami, Ozuna made his major league debut with the Marlins in 2013. Miami dealt him to St. Louis in December of 2017, and Ozuna hit .262 (280-for-1,067) with 52 home runs and a .777 OPS over his two seasons with the Cardinals.

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Marlins in 2008, Ozuna is a career .272 hitter (963-for-3,536) with 148 home runs in 931 career games.

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