Placed UT Danny Santana on the 10-day DL with a bacterial infection.
Recalled UT Jace Peterson from AAA Gwinnett.
Sent UT Sean Rodriguez to AAA Gwinnett on rehab assignment.
Signed free agent RHP Junior Rincon to a minor league contract; Assigned Rincon to A+ Florida.
Sent 2B Micah Johnson to A- Rome on rehab assignment.
Placed A+ LHP Drew Harrington on the 7-day DL.
Placed UT Danny Santana on the 10-day DL (bacterial infection)
Acquired earlier this year for essentially nothing, Santana has been better than expected for Atlanta. Yes, he’s batting .230/.287/.402, but thanks to that slugging %, it’s better than expected. It’s not a terrible loss in terms of wins and losses – Santana is more or less a replacement level player – but it’s disappointing in terms of that increased power. The hope is that it’s not staph infection, but so far, details have been vague. Regardless of how long he’s out, hopefully the time off won’t mess with his swing, because he had made some (small) strides recently. His versatile defense will also be missed – Santana is capable at almost any position.
Recalled UT Jace Peterson from AAA Gwinnett
I would describe Peterson’s season as a roller coaster ride, except roller coasters typically have high points.
Peterson was just recently sent down, and at the time, we talked about Peterson’s 2017 conundrum: he’s better at selecting pitches to swing at, but it has come at the price of making worse contact (in both quality and quantity). It will be interesting to see if Peterson gives back some of that selectivity in order to hit the ball with more authority again. If he works it out, for now it’ll be in BP sessions in Atlanta and occasional pinch hit appearances.
Sent UT Sean Rodriguez to AAA Gwinnett on rehab assignment
Rodriguez continues working his way back to the majors much earlier than expected. He had already began his rehab, so this is notable merely if you were hoping to go see him at your local MiLB ballpark.
Signed FA RHP Junior Rincon to a minor league contract & assigned Rincon to A+ Florida
A veteran of the Marlins and Brewers systems, Rincon is a high-K, high-BB, flyball pitcher. He is mediocre enough to keep finding employment in the minor leagues and mediocre enough to remain there. He’s 25, and still in A-ball, so the forecast isn’t sunny, but he did reach AA last year with Milwaukee, having some success (11.0 K/9, 3.80 ERA, 3.75 DRA, 2.64 FIP). There’s maybe something useful if you squint hard enough, but then you realize you look silly, just standing there squinting at Dominican relievers.
Sent 2B Micah Johnson to A- Rome on rehab assignment
Like Rodriguez, this is just geographic movement in a rehab assignment that had already commenced. If a Brandon Phillips trade is on the horizon, the winds of Braves Country will surely be crying Ozzie, but it’s Micah Johnson they may get, at least on a short-term basis. Johnson has some talent, and likely fits better as a utility man than as a regular 2B. However, if the front office wants to play some arbitration clock games with Albies, Johnson would provide it with an interesting, if disappointing option.
Placed A+ Florida LHP Drew Harrington on the 7-day DL
There’s been no word on what kind of injury sent Harrington to the DL. His 2017 had been uneven (4.50 ERA, 4.43 DRA, 3.12 FIP), but not discouraging enough to set him too far back on prospect lists. I’m typically not a fan of omitting single game results, but Harrington did have a disaster start against Tampa in June that skews his stats. He pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up 7 earned runs. In starts other than that one, Harrington is sporting a 3.66 ERA. In a system oozing with pitching talent, you don’t hear much about the lower ceiling, higher floor guys, and Harrington is one. The former ACC Pitcher of the Year doesn’t wow you with talent – he sits around 90 with his fastball – but his curveball and smarts keep hitters off-balance. It’s easy to forget about him, but he was a lefty drafted in the top 100 of the MLB draft (so, don’t forget about him). Even if he’s only a top 30-ish prospect for Atlanta, that’s still notable. Here’s wishing him well on his recovery from the injury, whatever it is.
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