5:55pm: Braves GM Frank Wren confirmed that the club is looking at possible trades for second basemen, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Twitter link). Wren said that if the club can't find the "right fit…we'll go with what we have."
3:15pm: The Braves took another hit to their infield depth when it was discovered that Tyler Pastornicky has a torn ACL in his left knee and will undergo season-ending surgery, writes MLB.com's Mark Bowman. The 23-year-old Pastornicky was set to man second base on an everyday basis while Dan Uggla recovered from LASIK surgery. Uggla isn't eligible to be activated until Aug. 28, at the earliest.
In the meantime, the Braves have called up Phil Gosselin, who could serve as depth while Paul Janish starts at shortstop. However, Bowman writes that Janish's limited abilities with the bat "have led the club to actively search for an infielder who could be acquired via a waiver wire deal."
Janish is a career .214/.284/.288 hitter in 1,175 plate appearances, so it's no surprise that the Braves would want a stronger option at second base. The 24-year-old Gosselin might not be a substantial upgrade either, as he reached Triple-A for the first time this season, where he was batting .277/.326/.343 in 183 trips to the plate.
We've already seen a pair of middle infield options change hands this August, with both Jamey Carroll and Emilio Bonifacio heading to the Royals in waiver deals. A look at the list of players who have cleared waivers shows that Brendan Ryan could be had, but he certainly doesn't fit the profile of an offensive upgrade. This is just my own speculation, but perhaps Ryan Roberts — who was designated for assignment by the Rays yesterday — could serve as a fit with Atlanta.
