Schunk, 28, is changing organizations for the first time in his career. He was drafted by the Rockies in 2019, selected in the second round, and was with that club a few weeks ago. With Colorado, he played 55 games in the big league over the past two seasons. He stepped to the plate 131 times, but struck out in 31.3% of those at-bats and walked just 3.1% of the time while posting a tepid .222/.246/.302 line.
His minor league offense was better, but not outstanding. In 1,170 Triple-A plate appearances, he has a .291/.348/.468 line. That looks good on the surface: All those trips to the plate took place in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, where that kind of production translates to an 89 wRC+. That indicates he was actually 11% worse than league average. The Rockies cut him from the roster in October and he opted for free agency.
Defensively, his reputation is quite strong. He is considered an above-average third baseman and has also spent a lot of time in the middle infield spots. The left side of Atlanta’s infield has some uncertainty. Austin Riley finished on the injured list the past two seasons. He underwent nuclear surgery in August 2025 and spent the last few weeks of the campaign on the IL. They just signed at shortstop Hi Seong Kim to take over there. He returned from shoulder surgery in 2025 but struggled with other injuries and played just 48 games.
Atlanta has Mauricio Dubon on the bench to provide backup at those two spots, as well as others. Second baseman Ozzie Albies is also a bit of a question mark after two consecutive seasons at the plate. Vidal Brujan And Brett wise are also on the roster, but both are out of options and could be on the roster bubble. Nacho Alvarez Jr. is on the 40-man roster, but Atlanta would likely prefer to see him get regular playing time in the minors.
If Schunk ultimately lands a 40-man spot, he still has an option, meaning he could be shuttled to Triple-A and back. He has less than a year of service left, meaning he can be retained cheaply for the next few years if that becomes a consideration.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images
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