Former MLB home run leader is joining the Atlanta Braves

Veteran baseball player Jose Bautista is signing a one-year minor league contract with the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves announced the deal involving Bautista, 37, on Twitter and said he has reported to the team’s extended spring training complex in Buena Vista, Fla.

The tweet said Bautista, who has primarily been an outfielder at the Major League level, will play third base. Bautista has experience playing the position from his time with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Bautista is a six-time All-Star and was one of the top home run hitters of the last decade. To this point in his career, Bautista has hit 331 home runs and led the league in home runs in 2010 and 2011. He is coming off a 2017 season in which he hit 23 home runs but posted a dismal .203 batting average.

Along with his home runs, Bautista is also well known for his penchant to flip his bat after his blasts, much to the chagrin of some.

Bautista’s signing with the Braves reunites him with Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who was the Blue Jays general manager from 2009 to 2015.

This story was originally published April 18, 2018 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Former MLB home run leader is joining the Atlanta Braves."