A former National League MVP is headed to the minor leagues.
Andrew McCutchen, 39, has signed a minor-league contract with the Braves and is expected to report to Triple-A, according to reports.
Released by the Rangers in May after hitting .192 in 37 games, McCutchen grew up as a diehard Braves fan in Florida.
Now he has a chance to finish his career with his beloved Braves and possibly earn the World Series ring that has eluded him throughout an 18-year career.
McCutchen won the MVP in 2013, when he made the third of his five consecutive All-Star teams for the Pirates. He has had two stints in Pittsburgh totaling 12 years but decided not to make it a full-circle career in the offseason when he signed a minor-league contract with the Rangers after playing the previous three seasons with the Pirates.
McCutchen hasn’t been to the playoffs since he was a trade rental for the 2018 Yankees.
He went 2-for-18 against the Athletics and Red Sox that postseason.
Only Freddie Freeman and Jose Altuve have more career hits among active players than McCutchen (2,280). McCutchen is a career .819 OPS hitter with 333 home runs.
Stashing McCutchen in the minors is a low-risk option as the Braves look to bolster their bench options for the stretch run.
The Braves entered Friday with a 2 1/2-game league over the Phillies in the NL East.
It’s the second such move that the Braves have made in the last week.
McCutchen is actually younger than 40-year-old Carlos Santana, who also signed a minor-league deal around the same time that the Braves parted ways with veteran Rowdy Tellez.
Santana was released by the Diamondbacks after his start to the season was derailed by injury.
McCutchen is regarded as an excellent clubhouse presence, which is one of the reasons that he keeps getting extra opportunities.
