The Braves have announced the activation of infielder Sean Rodriguez, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman first reported on Twitter, with fellow utilityman Danny Santana also returning from a shorter DL stint. Infielder Jace Peterson and righty Jason Hursh were optioned to create active roster space, while righty Armando Rivero was bumped to the 60-day DL to open a 40-man spot (via David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, on Twitter).
Rodriguez, 32, signed a two-year, $11.5MM deal to join the Braves over the offseason. At the time, he seemed to be lined up to take regular duties at second base, while also providing an option at the hot corner depending upon how the season progressed.
An offseason car accident changed everything, though. Rodriguez has steadily worked back from a shoulder injury ever since. While it was believed at the time that he might miss the entire season, he was obviously able to make it back with plenty of games left to go.
It’s opportune timing for Atlanta, which has climbed back to .500 even as the Wild Card leaders have fallen back to earth. Qualifying for the postseason still looks to be a tall order, but it’s hardly out of the question. And Rodriguez — who slashed a career-best .270/.349/.510 last year — could provide a significant boost.
At this point, it’s not clear just how the Braves will line up. Brandon Phillips has handled everyday duties at second after being acquired to replace Rodriguez. And Freddie Freeman is now spending significant time at third base to allow Matt Adams a lineup spot at first. It seems likely that manager Brian Snitker will mix and match his lineups on a day-to-day basis, at least preliminarily.
He better play good.
Or what
Or off with his head!
Funny
Why does he have to play good? At the least, he can come play valuable defense and be better than some of the bench guys we have had this year
How about playing well first.
I was waiting for someone to say this
Can’t be worse than swansby
do you mean well?
Hope he can come back and pick up where he left off last year. Really unfortunate situation
How has freeman looked at 3rd base?
I think it’s been okay. No errors so far I don’t think.
Freeman has looked substantially better than the vast majority of people expected. I believe he had one error and has made a wide variety of types of plays. Has he been perfect? Definitely not. Has he been doing a serviceable job? Looks like it so far.
Per UZR he has fielded 9/11 routine chances and 0/2 difficult plays. In conclusion he should be our first baseman.
That’s crap in itself…He snagged a absolute shot off the bat the other nite…Which was anything but a routine play…So, automatically, I have to discredit those stats…
I saw it. It was a line drive right to him. His reaction times are fine per usual, his range is that of an excellent 1B.
Im sorry advanced statistics are hogwash for you Im just stating them. And Im a big Freeman and Braves fan.
To be honest I’d much rather have Freeman playing defensively at first than third, but in my opinion he hasn’t been bad (in a very small sample size). Through the years I’ve seen several people attempt to play third that I absolutely cringed every time the ball was hit in their direction. Freeman strikes me as limited but capable (especially if the ball is near him). Considering he hadn’t played the position in years I’m not complaining.
Now hopefully the Braves can deal away Matt Adams for a decent return and Freddie can go back to first.
First, let me apologize, after re-reading my comment, I could see how it may come off as being pretty a-hole’ish…Those weren’t my intentions whatsoever!! So, I apologize that, and I wasn’t trying to attack you personally either.
Also, I’m not saying advanced stats are hogwash…I’m saying that “0/2” on difficult plays is crap…(From my perspective)..We may have to agree to disagree lol
From what I saw, it wasn’t right to him; albeit, it wasn’t very far from him either…If it was “literally” right to him, then he would have missed it when he dove to his left to make the play..
I’m not saying it was the hardest play to make, I’m just saying it certainly wasn’t a routine play..
I love advanced statistics, and I am a firm believer that they’ve helped the game develop substantially. However, not ALL defensive metrics are EXACT and spot on…
The truth is, in regards to any advanced defensive statisticd, there is just way too small of a sample size to make any rational judgments, for or against Freeman’s defensive efforts…
Personally, I think he’s done okay..his range is really limited, but on balls hit close to him he gobbles them up…So, all in all he’s pretty sure handed, and makes the majority of the routine plays. Although, he’ll never win a GG, and he will occassionally let some balls get by him, that more athletic 3rd basemen would probably get to…
Let me also say thank you for bringing that to my attention.
I’m just curious as to what they consider a routine play, and what not a routine play…To me, it still sounds like an inexact science, to which there may be room for human error…
Yes he did a liner off Owings bat in a key situation too!
Im glad you calmed down, I was worried you were some overtly close minded superfan.
As for what is considered a difficult play maybe someone else can tell you better. But they track distance and speed of the ball and determine the likelihood of recording an out. I suggest googling UZR and reading their methodology. It will help you understand better next time someone throws out UZR stats and runs saved so you can respond in a productive manner and not be one of those people who say stats are crap.
Just because the ball is hit hard doesn’t necessarily make it a difficult play in regards to runs saved metrics. It was a big play but was right at him. Its a play that a 3B should make is what it was.
Im not trying to belittle Freeman or you guys, but try to look at the stats from a neutral prospective instead of rose colored Braves glasses please.
Its all good. And defensive stats aren’t perfect. Some GMs, like ours Coppy, dont care for them as they are. Its probably a reason he let FF switch. You can also disagree with what you consider a difficult play, but I didn’t set the guidelines, just relaying the info. FWIW I think FF could become a servicible 3B. He’s nowhere near as bad as Kemp in LF, but will never win a GG either. I would just prefer someone like Camargo play 3B who will actually save some runs on defense. That and FF is an excellent 1B, especially at scooping bad throws.
…I wasn’t saying advanced stats are crap…I was saying that 0/2 was crap..haha…Solely, just because I didn’t agree with it, we’ll you know the rest..lol
I understand that specific advanced statistic UZR, DRS, DEF, dWAR, etc….I just didn’t realize they had him specifically rated as being 0/2 on plays that weren’t considered routine…
Andrelton Simmons, with his defensive excellence and mind-blowing defense, MADE me understand and research all defensive metrics lol..You may or may not know, he actually set an ALL-TIME record for dWAR of 5.4 in 2013!!
It was quite an overreaction lol…That’s just how dumbfounded I was that they considered that a routine play…Honestly, I still can’t believe it, and it does make me question things a little bit..
I mean, over the course of a season, discrediting a player with making certain plays or not making certain plays can have an affect one way or the other…
Anyways, when it comes to defensive metrics, and precisely how they are calculated, etc. We could comment back and forth all day long, and we still probably wouldn’t get hardly anywhere…It’s an inexact science, but still I’m glad there is some information out there, so we can gauge one player versus another, other than solely the eye test…And I think we can definitely both agree on that!! lol
I do try to be as neutral as possible, when it comes to the Braves, their players, and especially their prospects.
However, more to your point, I can definitely understand how getting hyped over a big play, during the moment could make me see the ball as being hit harder, or could make me see it as being a more difficult play than it really was…Touche, that is actually a really good point, to your credit…Now, you are making me want to revisit the play, just to watch it “out of the moment!” lol haha
But no harm, no foul. I love talking baseball with level-headed, intelligent fans..And, frankly, I don’t get that chance too often, because most Braves fans are so biased..
Freeman saved like 50 runs at 1B in our loss to the Cubs tonight lol
He is definitely better than SRod who blew two routine plays in tonight’s game.
Basically according to UZR Freeman is as bad at 3rd this year as Simmons was good when he put up the dWAR, except a lot worse
I think he has a -75 uzr/150 (SSS alert, and not exactly -75 but around there). However, that I think would be the worst in MLB history (or at least in UZR history) if he were qualified. So, he’s a gold glove first baseman playing third
Great to see him back to playing baseball. He had a great season last year in Pittsburgh and I was sad to see him go. He would stick up for teammates and didn’t take any crap from water coolers either! Good luck Sean!
Dear Braves fans,
You’ve got a great person, great teammate, and pretty good ball player in SeanRod. Enjoy him
We do! Although the Gatorade Jugs Union are terrified he has been activated.
Swanson now looking like he is now a bench/part time/late inning defensive replacement player till camargo cools off and other options on the bench that has given more offensive production. Next few weeks should shake out the crowded infield with trading deadline.
Much like the Reds are doing with struggling INF Jose Peraza, the Braves will not bench Swanson since this year is about preparing for the future and rebuilding rather than contending
You underestimate the bad decision making of the Snit
I agree. We should DFA our top prospect after struggling the first half of his first full season.
Sometimes, I just dont know why our fans say things.
This, I completely agree with you on…It’s like some people clamoring to option Heyward back down when Constanza was having his mini surge…lol
Not to mention all the hair-brained trade ideas our fellow Braves’ fans come up with…It makes the majority of us look bad, ignorant, and just plain uneducated..
Teheran for Mike Trout and your best prospect!
Come on man let’s be realistic, Teheran’s trade value is down this year…
Teheran for Trout and their 2nd best prospect!! haha
Happy to see S-Rod back. How is the rest of his family doing?
If I recall correctly both the kids were fine but his wife sustained some minor injuries.
My how quickly things have changed for the Braves bench…Their bench was absolutely terrible…I mean horrible to begin the season…
Now, their bench has become an actual strength and positive for this ballclub.. With Lane Adams, Johan Camargo, Kurt Suzuki, Danny Santana, and Sean Rodriguez…They have versatility, a little pop, speed, and more versatility…Guys that play good situational baseball, and guys that can come in and get a hit when the Braves need one…
Their penchant for scoring runs in the latter innings coincides directly with the uptick in performance from their newfound bench..Stats will not tell the whole story, but with Snitker having the hot trigger finger, it seems whoever he calls upon lately, they all are getting the big hits when it counts the most!!
We need a better LHP than Krol, Freeman has been ok. Lane Adams is meh, with Sean back him and Santana can play OF. Call up Minter
Krol is not good.
Ya I was saying send down Adams for Minter if were gonna keep Krol and go with an 8 man bullpen.
Sean, Santana, Camargo, Suzuki is a fine bench.
Lane Adams will be send down once Vizcaino returns a early as Wednesday
Both Morris and Minter could be featured weapons down the stretch for the Braves…It’ll be interesting to see how they both perform…Well, if and when Minter gets the call-up…
Lane is definitely the epitome of “meh,” but that shot he hit the other night was absolute perfect timing!!
Kudos to Snitker for keeping Adams out there, even though it was a RH v. RH match-up…He could have used the LH M.Adams, but knew Delgado had been more successful versus LH on the year….
Yes, it was a little luck, but Snitker has been pulling the right cards lately, and this team isn’t ever giving up, regardless of the score or who they’re facing!!
Snitker needs to stop using LHP vs RHB. Sam Freeman would be having a great year but he gets used to face RHB too often and it is counter productive. He is not at Freddi Gonzales levels of bad decisions but his bullpen decisions leave me scratching my head.
And tonight KROL strikes again, and Snitker leaves him in to pitch another inning after that!! lol
Just when I was starting to give him a little praise, he craps in my face!!
Like you said before, Krol HAS TO GO!! Like Bonifacio style has to go..lol
And since Snitker can’t use Freeman correctly, he might as well go also…Krol gets the boot for when Vizzy comes back, and Freeman gets the axe when Minter is ready…Unless, they want to go with an extra arm, then L.Adams gets the big boot…
Those would be my two moves…one question though, if it came down to keeping one or the other…Would you rather keep Brothers or Freeman, and why??
Did I jinx him or is he just bad?
J/k he stinks.
Freeman, because Brothers is old
“Snit has been pulling the right cards recently”
I could be wrong, but isn’t Brothers only like 27??
I remember he seemed to debut fairly quickly after being drafted, had some early success for about two or three seasons, and then was out a couple of seasons injured, before the Braves brought him back…I’m purely guessing and thinking out loud here, but my guess would be a debut at 22-23, +2-3, +2 = 26-28 if I’m guessing correctly…I could easily look it up, but what’s the fun in that lol haha…
Minter actually gave up a couple of runs his last outing….I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the Gwinnett box score!! lol
But the dude is just filthy, if he can stay healthy…Which is a big IF, then you’re right he should get a long hard look fairly soon!!..IMO, he’s their best option, he just can’t pitch on back to back nights yet…
They may have found something in Brothers, but it’s just too soon to tell…
If they can get something for Rex he should be traded. Heck every guy in our current bullpen should be on the table if the return is right (including Vizzy) except for maybe Akeel, we need to see what he can do first.
Yeah, I mean I like Ramirez, but he will never be a reliable, consistent late 8th guy or closer…He just seems to choke, when the game is really on the line. Other then thay, he’s pretty solid, and he was a solid pickup off the waiver wire…
Morris was a good pickup in the 50th trade involving Kelly Johnson..lol..The Braves need to see what they have in him, he could very well be a solid, multi-inning guy much like Christian Martinez was for the Braves, but he has ALOT more talent and he has a very good FB, SL, CH combo…
I do love me some Vizzy, but he just can’t seem to stay healthy…When he’s healthy and firing on all cylinders…he’s one of the NL’s best set-up men..So, idk, because he’d also make a good closer to grow with the Braves core..Tough call on Vizcaino…
**Johnson can go lol, it’s as simple as that…
**KROL could get replaced by a broken bucket for all I care.
**Freeman is up and down, but like you alluded to earlier, Snitker can’t stop using him incorrectly…So really how good is he??
**Hursh, idk what he’s capable of, the Braves love to yo-yo him back and forth from Atlanta back down to Gwinnett..and vice versa…
**Motte was dominant at times, so maybe he might have some value, depending on the severity of his injury
**Brothers, idk about yet..He may be a keeper, if he can continue to turn things around..
**Jackson hasn’t been a reliever for long, and I personally like his stuff, and think he should stay and continue to get some more opportunities
One guy that easily gets forgotten about, that I’m actually really excited about seeing is Lindgren. When he gets back healthy, or if he gets back healthy, it’ll definitely be interesting to watch him rebound from that awful injury.
I mean, he really looked like a future stud for the Yankees, and IF he can rebound from that awful injury, that could be a MAJOR STEAL come some point during the 2018 season…Not that I’m counting on getting anything from him, but if he does fully recover, what a huge bonus, considering they got him for absolutely nothing!!
You keep saying awful injury, all he had was TJ right?
Our bullpen when we start contending is gonna mostly be the starting pitching specs that get moved to the pen.
I recall it being TJ, but I faintly remember something else happening also…Idk, maybe I just convinced myself it had to be something bad since the Yankees gave up on him so quickly..lol
But who do you see being moved to the pen, that would be considered “starters?”
Maybe Sims, Touki, Fried, and Blair or Wisler??
Krol is hot garbage that has no right being here. He’s singly handily cost us games.
Isn’t this the guy that wasn’t very good but had a good year last year for the pirates?
Yes but he completely revamped his swing added a big leg kick. We will see if it was a fluke but it changed the career of Jose Bautista and others.
We all seen how bad leg kicks and mess people up. Cam maybin is a good example
Thank you for pointing that out!! Alot of people just discount Rodriguez’s last year as a fluke, but they don’t consider that he actually made changes to his load and added that big leg kick…
Only time will tell how consistent he can be with that new leg kick, but most likely with that severe shoulder injury, his power will be sapped until next season…I hope he proves me wrong though…
He has really worked on his game. He went from a mediocre middle infielder who couldn’t hit a lick, to a 6-position super sub who hits for power and rakes lefty pitching. He’s best at 2B and 3B, but the Pirates used him more often in LF, RF and 1B and he was competent at all 3. Keep him off of SS. He’ll strike out a bunch, but he’ll give you some timely hits too.
It’ll be nice just to see him back on the field again.
welcome back!
Well now we don’t need Profar
Sean Rodriguez he is a really good human being. I went to this Friday night game in Charlotte Gwinnett took on Charlotte. Sean Rodriguez 5 minutes before the first pitch he come over and he signed my baseball. He signed autographs for about 10 fans. He pose for pictures with the fans. He even had a quick conversation with the fans while signing the autographs.