Adam Duvall is back with the Atlanta Braves for his third stint with the team. Duvall first joined the Braves at the trade deadline in 2018, but he hit just .132 in 33 games after the trade. He wasn’t on the postseason roster, and he then spent the bulk of 2019 with Gwinnett, the Braves AAA minor league affiliate. 

To Duvall’s credit, despite having twice hit over 30 home runs in a season and being an All-Star in 2016, he reported to Gwinnett at age 30 and hit 32 homers and drove in 93 runs in 101 games. He joined the big club late in the season and hit 10 home runs in 41 games, helping the Braves secure the Eastern Division title. 

Duvall became a free agent after the 2020 season and signed on with the Miami Marlins. But after a season-ending injury to Ronald Acuña, Jr., the Braves revamped their outfield, bringing back Duvall and trading for Joc Pederson and Eddie Rosario. 

Duvall hit 16 homers and drove in 45 runs in 55 games after the trade. He then hit two home runs in the World Series, including a grand slam in Game 5. In an odd statistical twist, Duvall ended up leading the NL in RBIs, despite hitting just .228 for the season. 

Duvall remained with the Braves in 2022, but a wrist injury ended his season in late July. After becoming a free agent, he signed with the Boston Red Sox for the 2023 season. He was hitting .483 with four home runs and 14 RBIs in his first eight games, but a broken wrist sidelined him for the next two months. Still, Duvall hit 21 homers and drove in 58 runs in just 91 games last season. 

After Acuña tweaked his surgically repaired knee, the Braves signed Duvall to provide some insurance in case they have to take it easy with Acuña for a while. Plus, Jarred Kelenic, who was supposed to be the everyday left fielder, doesn’t seem to be able to hit. Kelenic entered today’s Spring Training action with an anemic .071 (3-46) batting average. The plan now appears to be for Duvall to platoon with Kelenic until Kelenic starts to hit. 

Duvall, at 35, is still a good player. He has shown an ability to drive in a lot of runs and get big hits despite never hitting for a high average. Duvall is an above average fielder, has a strong arm, and can play all three outfield positions. Plus, he seems to be a good guy and a popular teammate. 

Duvall is not the first player to play for the Braves three separate times. I remember Mike Bilecki serving three tours of duty with the Braves in the 90s, and Jesse Chavez holds the distinction of having four separate runs with the team. 

The Braves’ association with Chavez dates back to 2010 when they acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade for Rafael Soriano. Chavez rejoined the Braves in 2021, left, and then came back two separate times in 2022. Chavez has thrived with the Braves, going 10-7 with a 3.08 earned run average in his four stints with the team, while posting a 37-56 record with a 4.52 ERA for the other eight teams who have employed him. And who knows? If he gets off to a slow start with the Chicago White Sox, he could come back to Atlanta for a fifth time. 

I’m glad Adam Duvall is back in Atlanta. And it wouldn’t bother me one bit if Jesse Chavez joins him sometime this summer.

(All statistics are from Baseball Reference.)