Mauricio Dubón

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos had high praise for utility man Mauricio Dubon, saying that he "can't say enough good things about him" and that he feels "very comfortable with (Dubon) at short," per Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Dubon emerged as a surprisingly critical component of Atlanta's lineup in 2026, hitting .276/.321/.399 with 12 home runs, 73 RBI, 66 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases across 619 plate appearances. Dubon is now set to hit free agency as he enters his age-32 season in 2027. The veteran had mostly been used as a versatile bench piece throughout his career prior to 2026, as he's shown an ability to line up everywhere on the diamond other than behind the plate and on the mound. However, it appears as though Atlanta could be circling Dubon as a potential stopgap starter at shortstop. The Braves have struggled to fill the shortstop position since losing Dansby Swanson to the Chicago Cubs in free agency following the 2022 season.