The Braves announced a series of roster moves today, reinstating right-hander Raisel Iglesias from the injured list while optioning left-hander Dylan Dodd in a corresponding move. They also recalled infielder Braden Shewmake to take the roster spot of infielder Ehire Adrianza, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to May 2, with right elbow inflammation. In addition, catcher Travis d’Arnaud will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Gwinnett tonight after spending the past four weeks on the concussion-related injured list.
Shewmake, 25, will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. Selected 21st overall in 2019, he’s generally been considered one of the club’s top 10 or so prospects since then, but mostly due to his defense. He spent 2021 in Double-A, walking in just 4.9% of his plate appearances and hitting .228/.271/.401 for a wRC+ of 84. He was promoted to Triple-A last year and improved his walk rate to 7.5% but still produced a tepid slash of .259/.316/.399 and an 89 wRC+.
Despite the still-developing bat, Atlanta added him to their 40-man roster in November to protect him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. He then became a surprising entrant in the club’s shortstop battle this spring, as they had a question mark at the position for the first time in years. With Dansby Swanson having departed for the Cubs in free agency, the plan was for prospect Vaughn Grissom and veteran Orlando Arcia to duke it out for the job. Shewmake had a strong spring and seemed to get himself into consideration alongside those two, but Arcia eventually won the gig on Opening Day.
Shewmake returned to Triple-A and has a .243/.282/.456 batting line through 110 plate appearances this year for a 79 wRC+. His walk rate is down again to just 5.5% but he does have five home runs, almost matching the seven he hit last year. Four of those five have come in the past two weeks, as he’s hitting a much stronger .271/.333/.583 since April 20. That perhaps indicates he’s getting into a groove but it’s also a small sample size after a few years of lesser production.
Though Arcia won the job out of camp, and got a contract extension as well, he’s been on the injured list for the past three weeks due to a microfracture in his left wrist. Grissom got the first shot at replacing him but is hitting just .258/.299/.274 this year and hasn’t looked great on defense. He’s made five errors already and is getting poor grades from the advanced defensive metrics. Adrianza has been serving in the backup role behind Grissom and Ozzie Albies in the middle infield, but with him now out of action as well, Shewmake will factor into the mix.
Atlanta is off to a tremendous 22-10 start this year but the shortstop situation is the least certain spot on the roster and it seems like it will take time before there’s any clarity. Grissom is struggling on both sides of the ball and Shewmake is just getting his first crack in the bigs with very little offensive success in the minors. They will likely be battling each other for future playing time until Arcia or Adrianza return. The former isn’t yet close as he’s only recently started swinging a bat, per David O’Brien of The Athletic, and likely won’t be available for a few more weeks.
As for Iglesias, he will be making his season debut whenever he gets into a game as he was diagnosed with shoulder inflammation in March and has been on the injured list all year so far. Acquired from the Angels at the deadline last year, he’s been one of the better relievers in the game in recent years. Since moving to relief work full-time in 2017, he has 151 saves and a 2.80 ERA in 370 innings, striking out 31.8% of batters faced.
ATL really should trade for Tim Anderson.
This assumes Anderson is available.
It also assumes that Anderson can play defense. He made an error on a ball he should have caught, leading to a big inning for the Twins who won yesterday’s game. He’s not the defensive player he once was, but he can still hit.
Even platinum glove winners make errors. Only question is: would his def be better than Arcia, Shewmake or Grissom? Either way, ATL couldn’t afford his prospect haul.
Yes, Michael could be the X factor for this team.
With what prospects exactly?
I told everyone the Braves needed to stop being cheap and re-sign or replace Swanson properly. The team is in win now mode. Open of the budget in the short term even if at the expense 5 years later when the win now window is not as obvious.
But nope, you all were convinced Grissom was the better play.
Too late now. Braves couldn’t trade for someone useful if they wanted because their farm is all at the majors at this point.
Arcia has better numbers than Swanson in half the games and his defense has been as good or better. And he’s making a tenth of what Dansby is. Braves have the best record in the NL…we’re gone without Dansby.
Fine without Dansby until we’re not.
Also having a good record and neglecting key pieces to wouldn’t be hard to fill not mutually exclusive
This counter argument of “oh it’s ok they have a good record” shows the limitations you have for success.
Personally I’m not interested in winning the East. I’m interested in winning the World Series. So if you want to play the “look at our record” argument…. We’re not the front runners to win the World Series. That would be the Rays.
No it doesn’t work like that of course, just as it doesn’t mean jack the Braves record is the best in the NL right now. Let me know if they have a winning record in October. It’s the only record that matters and they’ve made it harder in themselves by opting away from filling SS (and the OF for that matter)
Those are the facts. But… look at their record!!!! Lol
Also Arcia being better than Swanson in half the games is a joke.
Talk about denial.
“We’re not the front runners to win the World Series. That would be the Rays.”
Actually Fangraphs says the Braves have the best odds of winning the World Series, at 21%. The Rays are only 13%.
Even if fangraphs does, you must have totally missed the sentence that says “No it doesn’t work like that.”
Obviously just because the Rays have the best record now doesn’t mean they have the best chance to win.
So what were you actually trying to accomplish with your fangraphs quip? The whole point is they would be in better shape if they hadn’t neglected those holes on the team. It makes no difference if they have the best NL record now, or the best fangraphs odds for the future, in spite of that neglect to very easily address those needs.
So you have fangraphs giving it a 21% chance. Wouldn’t you prefer a 25% chance or 30% chance?
This is what so many of you fail to grasp. Although we probably should start small because you couldn’t even comprehend the follow up sentence that literally said “it doesn’t work like that” in the post you thought necessary to reply with fangraphs the number acting smug like you got me. How slow are you?
Yeah, I missed that. My bad. To be fair though, your writing style is a little disjointed and scattered, and now it seems you’re moving the goal post a little bit. You say “I’m not interested in winning the East. I’m interested in winning the World Series.” When I point out that the Braves are listed as the favorites to win the WS, you say “yeah, but they could be better”. That’s true, but Dansby is over-priced and would hobble the Braves. He’s an unwise investment for a mid-market team. The Braves options at SS are good enough, despite your disbelief. If the Braves do wind up needing an upgrade, they’ll find one at the deadline.
1. You very obviously didn’t play ball beyond little league.
2. You claim random and often contradictory thoughts as fact.
3. You’re a troll who needs validation through being argumentative, sad.
You start a trade with Grissom. Owen Murphy is a guy too.
They can acquire talent if they’re willing to thin out the system some more. It just depends how depleted you’d like to go.
I love these kind of posts that love to rewrite history bc they can’t just move on. He wasn’t worth the money then and not worth the money now. Grissom being ready is irrelevant to overpaying Swanson, praying he hits avg and doesn’t lose a step as he ages.
Typically I would agree that it’s impossible to project the next five years but with Acuña, Albies, Harris, Riley, Olson and Murphy all under contract for the next 5-10 years, I feel confident in the Braves ability to avoid a Bryant/Rizzo Cubs nosedive.
Hopefully Shewmake can cobble together some decent at bats.
or just do what he’s been doing in MiLB and get on base being a table setter for the boppers while providing avg defense at multiple positions.
How is Anderson any better when he’s constantly hurt every year
No thanks.
I like the idea, but truth is we don’t exactly have the piece to make that deal assuming he was on the market.
Welcome to the show Braden! Finally, a short stop prospect who can actually field…and hit. I say insert him at short and Grissom in left. Problem solved.
And hit? That’s very much TBD. He sure hasn’t excelled at the plate in the minors.
Shewmake is a better hitter than Grissom is a fielder. And right now, Vaughn’s bat (57 OPS+ in 19 games) isn’t worth enough displacing Rosario or even Ozuna. Shewmake’s had a good OBP throughout the minors, which would be great for this lineup that needs more tablesetters for the big boppers along with even close to average SS defense.
oh boy Ozuna?! He has bought himself some time it appears with 2 good games in Miami lol….He’s hanging on by the tiniest of threads, but I do hope he keeps it going and would put us over the top if so.
What do you mean bought himself time? If the Braves were going to release him, they would have done it by now.
haha, you were part of the herd that thought Grissom was a good prospect
lmao, these casuals always mock everything I try to teach them
Shewmake can’t hit and Grissome can’t hit at a Ml level either. Why would they put Grissom in left when there are 3 better options?
Up the middle defense! Grissom looks horrible each time the ball is hit his way. Even some of the routine plays have given him trouble and his throws to 1st are shaky sometimes. If Shewmake can steady the SS position defensively anything from the bat is a bonus. I like Vaughn and think he can be a decent utility guy but he is not a starting SS.
Wow, Braves fans have finally changed their tune about Grissom
Looks like I was right about Grissom not being a legitimate prospect
Hilarious how I was criticized by the latest hordes of casuals who thought Grissom would be a star
Adrianza, a victim of the mysterious but well-timed phantom inflammation injury.
Shewmake should get the starts at SS and Vaughn should move to the bench to be the infield backup/PH.
Shewmake….at last!
Routine grounder off Grissom’s shoe—make that an E6.
Shewmake makes that play off the shoe.
You make him sound like a Georgia peach cobbler.
Brooks Conrad is living in peace at last, knowing the blooper reel is getting a major update lately.
Anyone else remember his walk off slam against Cincinatti in 2010 to cap a 7 run 9th for the Braves?
Was that the homer that he thought was an out, so he didn’t see it go out?
Bhambrave lol same one.
If I remember correctly, they had to tell him to run the bases. I was half afraid he was going to head to the dugout.
Yep, I screamed at the top my lungs in my office at the time. Was listening on the app/radio.
Well, maybe he can play defense. Grissom has been ghastly in the field.
I miss Dansby
Shewmake looks like a defense only shortstop. He looks overpowered. I have a lot of doubts that guy will ever hit
There’s a reason they extended Arcia because none of these prospects (Grissom, Shewmake) are projected to stick
Oh but go ahead. I’m the idiot for saying Grissom isn’t a good prospect and now I’m the idiot for saying Shewmake won’t hit
It never ends with the clueless hordes online
There’s no reason to even comment online since hardly anybody knows what’s going on
All of a sudden Grissom is trash, just like I said he was a year ago, and now they’re all on board with my original assessment that they all mocked at first
Happens all the time, believe me
So glad we have you here to show us the way lol. Just like mj-2, you bring nothing but negativity and a lack of knowledge.
Only problem w/your comment AO is that the site won’t allow me to give it a hundred thumbs up.