SAN FRANCISCO -- Jorge Soler's abrupt trade from the Giants to the Atlanta Braves took the baseball world by surprise, but his former skipper couldn't have been happier about the ballclub's reunion with the slugging right-hander.
Before Tuesday's game at Oracle Park, Braves manager Brian Snitker detailed how Soler's return to Atlanta not only has provided a boost on the field but in the clubhouse as well.
"He's a great teammate; we got nothing but great memories of him and the person that he is," Snitker said. "As a teammate, the whole thing. It's easy to get a guy like that back when you have that experience with him, and he meant so much in our championship run. It's really good to get the good person back, too. Everybody thinks the world of him. We were excited when the trade went down."
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Soler immediately found his stride after reuniting with his former team, slashing .282/.404./.615 with four home runs and 10 RBI in 11 games since being traded to the Braves.
The power-hitting right-hander took home World Series MVP honors with Atlanta in 2021, hitting .300 with three home runs and six RBI in the Braves' six-game triumph over the Houston Astros.
After hitting 36 home runs for the Miami Marlins during the 2023 MLB season, Soler never was able to find the same rhythm during his short-lived Giants tenure, prompting San Francisco to strike a deal with Atlanta that was viewed as an opportunity to open the door for more playing time for younger players.
The Braves currently are holding on to the third and final NL wild-card spot, sitting 2 1/2 games in front of the Giants as Atlanta and San Francisco continue a four-game series by the Bay that holds massive ramifications on the MLB playoff picture.
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As Snitker sits perched in the visitor's dugout at Oracle Park, he gleefully takes solace in the return of a familiar face that was a fixture in his current opponent's lineup just mere weeks ago.
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