Sent RHP Dan Winkler to AAA Gwinnett on a rehab assignment.
Promoted LHP A.J. Minter from A+ Florida to AA Mississippi.
Placed AA Mississippi RF Joey Meneses on the 7-day DL.
Activated AA Mississippi C Joe Odom from the 7-day DL.
Placed R GCL Braves LF Jackson Pokorney on the 60-day DL.
Sent RHP Dan Winkler to AAA Gwinnett on a rehab assignment
Winkler inches closer to the majors, which is good news for a bullpen that is probably outpitching its talent level so far this season. Winkler has walked as many as he’s punched through this rehab process, so there’s no rush. The team has until mid-July to call him up, and I’d expect them to use most of that allotted time, at least until Winkler looks sharper.
Promoted LHP A.J. Minter from A+ Florida to AA Mississippi
This isn’t a first-time promotion, as most of Minter’s 2016 innings came at Mississippi. He missed time this year with an injury, however, so the organization sent him on his own rehab assignment in A-ball before returning him to the Southern League. He’s an exciting relief prospect, so it’ll be worth keeping an eye on his numbers now that he’s back in the high minors.
Placed AA Mississippi RF Joey Meneses on the 7-day DL
Meneses has always been a slow conqueror. His first year at low-A Rome, he slashed .257/.308/.349, but in his second, he hit .283/.354/.495. At high-A, his first season saw him hit .239/.298/.327, but year 2 saw improvement to .342/.401/.490. Last year, in his first taste of AA, Meneses hit .234/.289/.329. In 2017, he’s batting .311/.362/.443.
Normally, this isn’t a good trend for prospects to have. The prospects who wind up being successful big leaguers tend to be the ones who hit at levels at younger ages than expected, and with less experience than others. However, there are late bloomers, and Meneses, now 25, could potentially reach the majors at some point. He’s not high on prospect lists, but this year’s slash line can’t just be ignored.
Hopefully, the current injury won’t set him back too much on that path, and it will only be an interruption, rather than a cessation, to his AA breakout.
Activated AA Mississippi C Joe Odom from the 7-day DL
Odom finally gets his second crack at AA. After mashing at A+ Carolina last year (.292/.349/.500), he was promoted to AA, where things were tougher on him (.259/.294/.333). Odom has a strong arm and some power in his bat. While he may not rank highly on lists, he’s more than organizational filler, and it’s nice to see his 2017 season can really get underway.
Placed GCL Braves LF Jackson Pokorney on the 60-day DL
A 29th-rounder in 2016, Pokorney didn’t embarrass himself in rookie ball last season, but an (apparently undisclosed) injury is delaying his 2017 debut for quite some time.
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