Duvall hustled, battled traffic to rejoin Braves

ATLANTA -- How excited was Adam Duvall to rejoin the Braves?

Well, after learning he was traded from the Marlins to the Braves around 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday, he packed his belongings in Miami, flew to Atlanta and made his way through an hour’s worth of rush-hour traffic before arriving at Truist Park approximately one hour before he served as the Braves' starting left fielder against the Brewers.

“I was worried I wasn't going to be able to make it,” Duvall said. “I threw everything into a bag at the house in Miami and had to hurry up and get the stuff from the field and then get on a flight. Obviously, you know, the traffic was jam-packed here [in Atlanta]. Because I was arriving around game time, we also had to deal with traffic. But I was able to make it, so that was pretty cool.”

Duvall was a clubhouse favorite and a very valuable player during the past few seasons with Atlanta. He produced an .833 OPS and belted 16 homers while helping the Braves win a third straight National League East title last year. His great season unfittingly ended with him straining his left oblique muscle in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series.

The Braves non-tendered Duvall last winter, hoping to re-sign him at a cost lower than the approximate $7 million he could have received via arbitration. Though the reunion didn’t happen this winter, the 32-year-old outfielder returns with no hard feelings.

“I’m glad to be back,” Duvall said. “That’s the biggest thing. This place has meant a lot to me over the years.”

Braves manager Brian Snitker showered Duvall with praise in 2019, when the outfielder willingly spent most of the season’s first half with Triple-A Gwinnett and then proved to be a key asset for Atlanta over the season’s final months. Snitker continued to speak highly of the outfielder last year and whenever his team crossed paths with the Marlins this year.

“[Snitker] is like a father figure,” Duvall said. “He watches out for his players and protects his players. That's why guys love playing for him. That's important in a locker room.”

Duvall hit .229 with 22 homers and a .755 OPS for the Marlins this year. He encouragingly produced a .800 OPS against right-handed pitchers but uncharacteristically struggled against lefties, posting just a .619 OPS in 91 plate appearances against them.

Snitker moved Joc Pederson to center field and put his most recently acquired outfielders -- Duvall (left field) and Jorge Soler (right field) -- at the corner spots for Saturday night’s game. This is an arrangement he could use over the next couple weeks, as long as Soler’s defense doesn’t become an issue.