The Red Sox and Braves have announced a trade involving infielder Zack Short and cash considerations. This trade comes after Boston designated Short for assignment earlier this week. Atlanta had freed up a roster spot earlier in the day by trading Luis Guillorme to the Angels.
Not only does Short have a unique batting approach, but he also possesses the ability to play various defensive positions. In his experience in the major leagues, he has seen time at third base, second base, and shortstop, as well as center and right field. He has also had some experience playing in left field while in the minor leagues.
At 29 years old this month, Short is a versatile player known for his calm manner at the plate. Throughout his career, he has had 469 opportunities at the plate, where he has walked in 11.5% of them while also striking out 29.4%. Additionally, he has only swung at 20.9% of pitches outside the strike zone. Among players with at least 450 plate appearances since 2021, Short is one of only seven who have shown less aggression in swinging at non-strike pitches. For comparison, one of those players is Brett Gardner, who has not played since the start of 2021.
Despite Short’s focus and attention to detail, he has not been successful in major league play. His overall batting average is .169 and his on-base percentage is .262 with a slugging percentage of .299. However, in Triple-A, he has shown slightly improved results with a slash line of .226/.361/.397 since the beginning of 2021. His high walk rate of 16.2% at that level has contributed to a 106 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), but he also struck out 26.6% of the time.
In 2023, Short completed his last year with the Tigers and has now run out of options. This has resulted in him playing for multiple teams since the end of last season. After being claimed by the Mets from the Tigers in November, he was released in April to make room for J.D. Martinez’s debut with the team. He was then traded to the Red Sox for a sum of money but was once again released from the roster after only a week.
He may return to being stuck in DFA limbo due to his lack of options, but for the time being, he will join Atlanta’s roster. Although the team is filled with talented players, Short will step into Guillorme’s former role as a multi-functional bench player alongside Luke Williams. If Short remains with the team for the entire season, he can be kept for future seasons as he has not yet reached two years of experience in the major leagues.
