Optioned 3B Rio Ruiz to AAA Gwinnett; Recalled UT Jace Peterson from AAA Gwinnett.
Placed A+ Florida C Wigberto Nevarez on the 7-day DL.
Assigned C Brett Cumberland to A+ Florida.
Assigned 1B Austin Bush to A- Rome.
Assigned 3B Jordan Rodgers to A- Rome.
Optioned 3B Rio Ruiz to AAA Gwinnett; Recalled UT Jace Peterson from AAA Gwinnett
Ruiz showed flashes of major league ability, and a .222 BABIP did him no favors, but a .175/.264/.287 line mixed with a high K-rate couldn’t be good for his self-confidence. The BABIP may not have even been purely bad luck. Ruiz was hitting a ton of ground balls, and he wasn’t hitting them particularly hard. He may never be more than a AAAA type of 3B, a decent defender who can’t hit well enough to justify regular playing time. There’s still some upside for more, though, as he’s only 23, and he’ll hopefully get more regular playing time in Gwinnett.
We’re running out of time for Jace Peterson to become more than he is. What he is, however, is still moderately useful for a major league team. Despite his miserable 2017 batting line (.194/.293/.259), Peterson should be able to give the Braves slightly below average offense (he posted a wRC+ of 95 in 2016) with the ability to play numerous positions without playing any particularly well. It’s not the stuff championship teams are made of, but it’s a useful profile for the 25th man on just about any roster.
Placed A+ Florida C Wigberto Nevarez on the 7-day DL
Nevarez is an organizational guy, but you still hate to see anyone go through the ringer like this. Placed on the DL in late May, Nevarez was activated in mid-June, got to play one game, where he went 0-for-3 with a K, and now heads back to the DL. High-A 25 year olds with a 34% K-rate and a .326 SLG don’t have the longest careers in front of them, so you hate to see injuries added to the mix as well.
Assigned C Brett Cumberland to A+ Florida
After tearing up the Sally with a .263/.432/.531 line and 10 HR, the 21 year old switch hitter is on his way to high A. He’ll share time behind the plate with Alex Jackson (.284/.348/.543 so far), a similar catcher in that he’s much better when standing next to the plate than he is behind it. Both should be in the lineup regularly, though, with one filling the DH role on days the other wears the pads. It’s an exciting promotion for the 76th pick of the 2016 draft, a player who has exceeded expectations thus far in his MiLB career.
Assigned 1B Austin Bush to A- Rome
Most players with Bush’s profile (huge but with K issues already) don’t work out, but occasionally they do, and when they do, that’s something you really like having on the roster. The power will be there, if the hit tool ever allows it to show up in games. Defensively, Bush is pretty much limited to 1B plays for an organization that lets players play wherever they want, apparently, so the options are wide open.
Assigned 3B Jordan Rodgers to A- Rome
A 6th round pick from Tennessee, Talking Chop’s Matt Powers described Rodgers as a “versatile defender” with “some pop in his bat” and “solid defense”. Without another true 3B on the Rome roster, I’d expect Rodgers to play regularly. While skipping rookie ball seems aggressive, Rodgers comes from the SEC, which is probably at least as advanced as the competition he’ll face in the Sally.
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