The Atlanta Braves made a roster move Thursday that sent veteran slugger Rowdy Tellez packing after just seven games with the big league club. In his place, they called up infielder Jim Jarvis from Triple-A Gwinnett — a 25-year-old who has been absolutely on fire this season.
Jarvis is expected to start Thursday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. This is his second MLB call-up of 2026, and he already has one hit in five at-bats from his debut during the Braves’ West Coast trip earlier this year.
Here’s the thing about Jarvis: he just doesn’t stop getting on base. Through 76 games in Triple-A, he reached base in 69 of them. That’s wild. He’s hitting .316 with an .867 OPS, six homers, 32 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. Oh, and he set a Gwinnett franchise record with four steals in a single game — part of a team-record 10 steals that night.
His defensive versatility is a big part of why Atlanta wanted him back. The guy can play multiple infield spots, which gives manager Brian Snitker some flexibility as the Braves keep tinkering with the lineup.
Tellez’s Time in Atlanta Ends Quickly
Tellez signed a minor league deal with the Braves before the season and got called up in early June. But his role never really developed. Dominic Smith was getting most of the DH at-bats, so Tellez was basically stuck as a left-handed pinch hitter off the bench.
In 11 plate appearances across three weeks, he went 2-for-10 with one home run and four RBIs. Not terrible numbers, but the Braves clearly wanted more roster flexibility.
The 31-year-old used to be a legitimate power threat. He hit a career-high 35 home runs with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022. But he’s bounced around since then — six organizations in parts of nine MLB seasons — and his overall career slash line sits at .234/.299/.437.
This year’s 11 plate appearances are the fewest he’s had in any season since debuting in 2018. That’s not where a guy with his track record wants to be.
The Braves will try to trade Tellez before putting him on waivers. If he clears waivers, he has enough service time to reject a minor league assignment and hit free agency. But don’t rule out a return to Atlanta either — he was mashing at Triple-A earlier this year, putting up a .259/.367/.483 line with eight homers in 49 games for Gwinnett.
As for Jarvis, he went from unranked to the organization’s No. 29 prospect pretty quickly this season. He’s got the speed, the on-base skills and the glove. Thursday night will be a good test to see if that translates at the highest level.
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