The Braves released Duda from his minor-league contract Tuesday, Andersen Pickard of MLBDailyDish.com reports.
Duda signed with Atlanta earlier this month with the hope of making enough of an impression at Triple-A Gwinnett to earn a September callup. The 33-year-old was unsuccessful in that endeavor, batting just .140 in 16 games with Gwinnett while striking out in 30.9 percent of his plate appearances. Duda seems unlikely to surface elsewhere before the 2019 campaign ends and could opt for retirement this winter.
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Braves' Lucas Duda: Inks MiLB deal with Atlanta
Rotowire
Duda signed a minor-league contract with the Braves on Monday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Duda was let go by the Royals one week ago, but he wasn't a free agent for long. He slashed .171/.252/.324 over 39 games this season in the big leagues, but he'll begin his time as a Brave in the minors, likely at Triple-A Gwinnett, where he'll provide Atlanta with depth at first base.
The Royals granted Duda his unconditional release Monday.
After the Royals designating Duda for assignment over the weekend, none of the league's other 29 teams were willing to put in a waiver claim for the first baseman/designated hitter, who slashed .171/.252/.324 across 119 plate appearances with the big club. The prospect of an outright assignment to Triple-A Omaha apparently wasn't appealing to Duda, so he'll likely look to latch with a different organization on a minor-league deal. Hitting for power and getting on-base at a healthy clip have always been Duda's core skills, but with the 33-year-old slipping significantly in both areas the past two seasons, it's possible that his time in the big leagues may be over.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Removed from 40-man
Rotowire
Duda was designated for assignment by the Royals on Saturday.
Duda has struggled to a lackluster .169/.206/.322 slash line in 21 games since returning from a back injury in June, prompting the Royals to remove the veteran slugger from their 40-man roster. Ryan O'Hearn was summoned from the minors in a corresponding move and should replace Duda as a lefty-swinging option at first base for Kansas City.
Duda is out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Indians, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.
With Cheslor Cuthbert and Jorge Soler emerging as the Royals' preferred options at first base and designated hitter, respectively, Duda hasn't been a mainstay in the lineup lately. He'll remain on the bench Saturday for the fifth time in six games.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Smacks third homer
Rotowire
Duda went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Cleveland.
The 33-year-old last left the yard April 16, spending much of the time in between on the IL with a back injury. Duda is slashing only .164/.267/.315 with three homers and 12 RBI in 27 games, and he's clinging to a platoon/bench role for a Kansas City squad that has little to play for in 2019.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Benched against righty
Rotowire
Duda is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Indians.
Duda has recorded just two hits in 20 at-bats in his seven games since returning from the 10-day injured list earlier this month. He may not even be a strong-side platoon player at this point, as he'll sit in favor of Cheslor Cuthbert on Monday, despite the fact that the Royals are facing a right-handed starting pitcher (Adam Plutko).
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Sitting against lefty
Rotowire
Duda is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Twins.
Duda will head to the bench Friday with lefty Martin Perez taking the mound for Minnesota. Cheslor Cuthbert will start at first base and bat fifth in his stead.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Out again Tuesday
Rotowire
Duda will head to the bench for Tuesday's game against the Mariners, Joel Goldberg of FOX Sports Kansas City reports.
Duda is in line for his third straight off day with another lefty slated to toe the rubber for the opposition. Whit Merrifield will lead off and start at first base in Duda's place.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Sitting out Monday
Rotowire
Duda is not in the lineup Monday against the Mariners, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports.
Duda will stick on the bench for a second straight game with a left-hander in Tommy Milone set to serve as the primary pitcher for the opposition. In his place, Whit Merrifield is starting at first base while Jorge Bonifacio is starting in the outfield.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Takes seat Sunday
Rotowire
Duda is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Twins, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.
With a lefty (Martin Perez) on the bump for Minnesota, Duda will retreat to the bench while Whit Merrifield picks up a start at first base. Upon returning from the injured list Thursday, Duda started in the first two games of the series, going 0-for-6 with two strikeouts.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Back from IL
Rotowire
Duda (back) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Thursday.
Duda has been sidelined since the end of April with a lumbar strain, but he's ready to rejoin the Royals after completing a 12-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha during which he slashed .286/.348/.429 with one homer and a 4:0 BB:K. Prior to landing on the IL, Duda slashed .174/.304/.326 with two homers and eight RBI in 18 games. Kelvin Gutierrez was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move, though he'll stick around for Thursday's game against the Tigers before reporting to Omaha.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Hitting well during rehab
Rotowire
Duda (back) served as Triple-A Omaha's designated hitter Sunday in a rehab game against El Paso, going 0-for-3 with a walk.
Duda didn't turn in a noteworthy performance in his 11th rehab game, but he's been largely productive during his time at Omaha, with a .316/.381/.474 slash line across 42 plate appearances. He appears to have made a full recovery from the lumbar strain that has kept him out of commission for the Royals since late April and should be days away from returning from the 10-day injured list.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Duda (back) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.
It was reported Saturday that Duda wasn't close to beginning his rehab assignment, but evidently Duda's further along than he was believed to be. Duda hit .174/.304/.326 in 18 games before suffering a lumbar strain in late April.
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Royals' Lucas Duda: Not close to rehab assignment
Rotowire
Duda is still having back issues and is not close to embarking on a rehab assignment, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.
Duda has been out with a lumbar strain since late April. He was reportedly close to a rehab assignment in mid-May but has seemingly made no progress since then. His expected return date remains unclear.
