Braves Trade for Versatile Infielder Day After Orlando Arcia DFA

The Atlanta Braves have a new infielder.

The team announced on social media Saturday morning it acquired infielder Jonathan Ornelas from the Texas Rangers. The Braves sent cash to the Rangers for the infielder.

Atlanta also announced optioning him to Triple-A Gwinnett. The transaction came one day after the Braves designated shortstop Orlando Arcia for assignment.

The 24-year-old appeared in four MLB games for the Rangers this season. He was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and one walk.

Ornelas made his MLB debut with Texas in 2023. Appearing in three seasons for the Rangers, he owns a .184/.245/.224 slash line in 30 games.

During those 30 contests, Ornelas played second base, third base and shortstop.

Ornelas has mostly appeared at Triple-A Round Rock in the PCL this season. He hit .204 with a .574 OPS in 121 plate appearances with the Rangers affiliate.

The infielder has hit .266 with a .725 OPS across all minor league levels in seven seasons.

The Braves acquired Arcia early in the 2021 season. Just two years ago, the shortstop was an All-Star with a .741 OPS, but that OPS dropped to .625 last season.

In 2025, Arcia continued to struggle on offense, so the Braves replaced him with a defensive upgrade in Nick Allen. Arcia made his last start for Atlanta more than a month before the team finally elected to move on.

The Braves designated Arcia for assignment to make room for the return of outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.

Without Arcia, the Braves only have one reserve infielder in Luke Williams although outfielder Eli White has played a little at second base during his career.

Ornelas in the fold gives the Braves another infield option. While he doesn’t have a lot of MLB experience, Ornelas’ versatility could be useful if Atlanta suffers any injuries in the infield this summer.

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