Braves Notes: Adams/Freeman, Weigel, Phillips

Matt Adams’ surprisingly dominant performance for the Braves following last month’s trade has the Braves considering multiple scenarios to keep him in the lineup when Freddie Freeman returns, according to a pair of reports from Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Like the Cardinals before them, the Braves are debating the possibility of playing Adams in left field. But more interestingly, Bowman suggests that the Braves will at least discuss the possibility of Freeman playing third base — a position he played throughout high school but hasn’t played since a tiny five-game sample with the Braves’ Rookie-level affiliate back in 2007. While there will obviously be plenty of intrigue around the idea of a position change for Freeman, it’s worth noting that the Braves are very much in the preliminary stages of mapping out a strategy. David O’Brien of the Journal-Constitution tweets that it may only be likely if Freeman volunteers to move across the diamond, though he, too, notes that Atlanta hasn’t firmly ruled the idea out.

• One of the Braves’ top pitching prospects, right-hander Patrick Weigel, is on his way to see Dr. James Andrews to have his elbow examined, O’Brien reports. According to O’Brien, Weigel has a potential tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow and will undergo an MRI to definitively make that determination. Weigel, 22, opened the year at Double-A Mississippi and pitched to a 2.89 ERA with 9.2 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 through 37 1/3 innings before being promoted to Triple-A. Weigel worked to a 3.58 ERA through his first seven Triple-A starts but was shelled for nine runs in 3 1/3 innings in his most recent outing on Sunday.
• Mark Bradley of the Journal-Constitution opines that the likeliest outcome for Adams and fellow trade acquisition Brandon Phillips is that both will be traded prior to the non-waiver deadline. Adams’ work in the outfield was unsightly enough that the Cardinals traded him the Braves in the first place, Bradley points out, and the Braves don’t necessarily need another left-handed-hitting first baseman. Phillips’ age makes him unlikely to be any kind of long-term option in Atlanta, and the Braves could use August and September to get their first big league look at Ozzie Albies, Bradley continues. From my perspective, Adams would represent a fine bench option for the Braves, though he could be a relatively pricey part-time player next year depending on how great a raise he receives upon this year’s $2.8MM salary in arbitration this winter.