The Braves have added some depth to their thin infield, claiming utility man Elliot Johnson on release waivers from the Royals.
Primarily a shortstop and second baseman, Johnson is hitting .179/.218/.241 and has 14 steals in 14 attempts. But he was hitless in his last 31 at-bats before Kansas City designated him for assignment on Aug. 15 to clear space for infielder Emilio Bonifacio.
The 29-year-old joins a Braves team that is ailing at second base with Dan Uggla on the disabled list following Lasik eye surgery and Tyler Pastornicky out for the season with a knee injury.
Johnson has been a strong presence at the position with nine defensive runs saved and a 15.9 UZR/150 in 353 innings.
Appearing in 279 games over four years with the Rays and Royals, Johnson has a .212 average and .267 on-base percentage and has stolen 32 bases over the past two seasons.
