The Braves lost some important depth in the middle infield when they decided to part ways with former All-Star Orlando Arcia to make room for Ronald Acuña Jr.’s return to Atlanta.
Nick Allen has held down the starting shortstop role for most of the season, but an injury to either him or Ozzie Albies would put the Braves in a tough spot with limited backup options.
Fortunately, that issue is now less pressing after Alex Anthopoulos completed a trade with the Texas Rangers to acquire infielder Jonathan Ornelas for cash considerations. The Braves promptly assigned Ornelas to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Braves acquire Jonathan Ornelas to help with infield depth after Orlando Arcia DFA
Ornelas, a former third-round pick by the Rangers in the 2018 draft, is set to turn 25 in a few days. He’s spent parts of the past three seasons with Texas, though he’s never logged more than 18 games in a single year. Once ranked among the Rangers’ top 30 prospects as recently as 2023, Ornelas has shown versatility by playing multiple positions, primarily in the middle infield.
Ornelas holds a career slash line of .184/.245/.224 at the major league level. This year, he had 121 plate appearances with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate before Atlanta acquired him. His performance with Round Rock hasn’t stood out—his OPS remains below .600—making it clear he’s more of a depth addition than a high-upside pickup.
He’ll join the Braves as a reliable defensive option to bolster organizational depth, especially with top prospect Nacho Alvarez Jr. sidelined on the 60-day IL due to a wrist injury. Atlanta’s upper minors are thin in middle infield options, making Ornelas’ glove a welcome addition.
While parting ways with Orlando Arcia reduced that depth, it was a trade-off the Braves were willing to make to get former MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. back. The Ornelas acquisition is another classic Alex Anthopoulos move—small in scope, but designed to maintain the depth he values so highly.
