Transaction Tuesday: Ruiz, Gohara, Jackson, and poor poor Freddie

Last week's update included a surprising amount of transactions involving the major league squad - zero. This week was not nearly as quiet. Prepare for an epic journey through the system.

A note on this report - moves referenced today took place between May 16 and May 22. Taxi Squad refers to a Braves minor league team "sending" a player to Danville just to get him off the active roster. In most cases, the player will stay with the team that just demoted him until he is brought back onto the active roster. Prospect Numbers are derived from my preseason Top 50.

Atlanta
Previously, I went over the trades to acquire Matt Adams and Enrique Burgos.

Promoted: Luke Jackson (#24)...Here's a pitcher I hope takes advantage of his callup and sticks this time. It'll come down to control for Jackson and interestingly enough, he hasn't walked a soul in his four innings at the major league level. Of course, that's an exceedingly small sample. The potential has always been there. Will the results come?

Promoted: Rio Ruiz (#20)...This might be the promotion that sticks for Ruiz. Despite being passed over earlier in the week when a certain third baseman hit the DL, Ruiz got called up shortly after and has played in five games since with a 3-for-12 start, including a homer, two walks, and 4 K's. After a bad beginning to the year with Gwinnett, Ruiz turned it and was the top minor league club's hottest hitter before his recall. His defense is much improved and his work ethic can no longer be questioned. Even Brian Snitker has suggested Ruiz will be kept once the former everyday starter at third base returns. Now, Ruiz isn't a huge prospect, but he's definitely worth keeping over the alternatives.

Promoted and Optioned to Gwinnett: Johan Camargo...While Braves fans hoped Emilio Bonifacio would get cut to make room for Adams, it was Camargo getting the boot back to Triple-A. This was the second brief cameo Camargo has made. His defense looks solid, but the Braves are less sure about his bat. He had a big spring and has a .354 wOBA at Gwinnett over 22 games, but never impressed with the bat before. While it would have made some sense to keep Camargo as a platoon option for Ruiz, for now, he's not in the Braves' plans.

DL'd: Adonis Garcia...An Achilles injury and the next injury we'll talk about opened the door for Ruiz. Garcia wasn't providing much value to the team before the injury either. His .274 wOBA was only better than 13 players so far this season. It's beyond time for the Braves to accept that Garcia is a platoon-only bench player.

By Jeff Morris. Follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeff

DL'd: Freddie Freeman...You can't replace an elite hitter and the Braves aren't going to be able to. In Adams and Ruiz, they'll try to do the best they can do to replace his production, but Freeman was playing out of his mind before getting his wrist shattered. He'll be out until mid-to-late July.

DL'd: Eric O'Flaherty...The veteran aggrevated his back apparently due to the brief run through Toronto last week - and not the homer he gave up to Jose Bautista. O'Flaherty's metrics early looked better than his ERA and that continues still, but the metrics have continued to decline to the tune of a 4.95 FIP, 4.78 xFIP, and 4.62 SIERA. All three marks are worse than last year. It might be about time to stick a fork in this one.

Transferred to 60-day DL: Chaz Roe...Apparently, his lat strain is worse than originally feared. Outside of one rehab game, Roe hasn't pitched in a game since April 7. Since he was never activated, this only means he's definitely out until after the first week of June. As I mentioned, he did make an appearance for Florida on May 6 and worked an inning.

DFA'd: Anthony Recker...After hitting .278/.394/.433 over 33 games with the Braves last year, Recker saw the Braves flirt with Jason Castro and ultimately sign Kurt Suzuki. Some weird roster math still gave Recker a chance to break camp with the team and he went 1-for-7 in mostly pinch-hit appearances before being optioned out. He bashed three homers in 14 games for Gwinnett, but the big league club needed a spot on the 40-man roster and Recker was chosen. Recker can elect free agency, but I'm sure the Braves are hoping he stays.

Signed and Released: James Loney...Well, that didn't take long. Loney played two games for the Gwinnett Braves. He had one single, a walk, and a strikeout, and he reached base due to catcher's interference. However, Saturday's trade for Matt Adams forced Loney to re-evaluate things and the veteran wanted out. The Braves didn't stop him and cut him yesterday. After it was all said and done, Loney sent out this salty tweet showing his displeasure. He will be missed.

Gwinnett
Promoted from Mississippi: Carlos Franco...On the same day Loney was signed, Carlos Franco was called up. It took Franco four years to get out of rookie ball and with the exception of a decent 2015, Franco has not been on the prospect watch until this year when he smashed the Southern League over 41 games to the tune of .293/.358/.560 with 11 homers. Franco has a reputation of a free swinger, but he takes his walks. One thing that stands out about Franco this season is his ground-ball rate. From 2012-to-2016, Franco's GB% has fluctuated between 53% and 62%. That will limit a player's ability to hit homers. This year, it's down to 42% and he's pulling the ball more as well. It was working for him in Mississippi. Hope it works for him in Gwinnett.

Activated: Dustin Peterson (#15)...With little fan fair, Dustin Peterson just showed up back in the lineup this weekend. A year after vindicating the Braves for wanting him in the Justin Upton trade, Peterson came to spring training looking to impress the team coaches before an inevitable trip to Gwinnett to start the season. He was doing that, but a broken hand took him out of action. He's 2-for-11 so far with a double, two walks, and a pair of strikeouts. Last year, in 132 games with Mississippi, Peterson hit .282/.343/.431 with a .356 wOBA. With Nick Markakis's recent struggles against left-handers, could bringing up Peterson at some point later this year be something the Braves may consider? It's possible if his bat takes off in Gwinnett.

Activated: Braeden Schlehuber...This will mark Year 10 for Schlehuber when he steps up to the plate for the first time. A well-regarded receiver, Schlehuber was a Carolina League All-Star back in 2012 and that's his career highlight.

DL'd: Emerson Landoni...After spending the first month on the DL, Landoni is back on it. The minor league veteran and utility player was hitting .091 in 23 PA before this most recent trip to the trainer's.

Activated and later Released: Blake Lalli...A year after being utilized as a top pinch hitter in the season's final month, Lalli gets his walking papers. He wasn't playing too much in Gwinnett and when he was, the results weren't there.

Mississippi

By Jeff Morris. Follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeff

Assigned: Rex Brothers...There was a time the left-handed reliever became an impressive option coming out of the Rockies bullpen. From 2011-13, he was worth 2.6 fWAR - good for 32nd among relievers during the time period. But his strikeouts fell and his walks ballooned the next year and then the injuries began. After missing 2016, he's back in the saddle with the Braves and has looked dominant against the seven Southern League batters he's faced so far as he's amassed five strikeouts and a walk. He's a long shot, but if early impressions are any sign, the Braves will be ecstatic with their pickup.

Activated: Reed Harper...His time on the DL was short. Harper's just a guy in the Braves system who last posted an wOBA over .285 in 2013 in rookie ball.

Activated: Evan Phillips...Things were ugly for Phillips before the move to the DL with an 11.93 ERA. In his defense, over half of the 19 runs he had surrendered in 14.1 innings came in just two outings. Relievers will spend much of the season working off the effects of a six-run and five-run barrage over a three-game run. Since returning, he's logged three innings with a walk and four strikeouts.

DL'd: Luiz Gohara (#7)...Unfortunately, Gohara left his first start in Double-A with a triceps injury. The move to the DL is apparently precautionary and the hope is that he'll return this week. Considering how much he dominated the Florida State League before his promotion (2.11 FIP/2.67 xFIP), definitely hoping some injury won't keep his rise in the prospect lists from not continuing now that he's with Mississippi.

DL'd: Danny Reynolds...Signed after finishing up last year in the independent American Association, Reynolds has struggled to the tune of a 6.20 ERA. The weird thing is that Reynolds has only allowed an opposing OPS of .670. Sure enough, he has a tragically low LOB% of 53.3%.

Florida
Assigned: Kris Medlen...With little press coverage, Medlen worked his way back and this weekend, Meds tossed six scoreless innings in his first game since last September 2. He gave up just one hit, walked three, and struck out three. By now, we all know Medlen's story, but just in case, here is a brief recap. After a monster 2012 (1.57 ERA in 138 innings) and respectable follow-up season, Medlen missed 2014 with his second Tommy John surgery. After the Braves non-tendered him, he tried his luck in Kansas City. He never was able to reclaim his former glory there, though. Now, could it happen in Atlanta? He definitely has the support of legions of fans that recall how well he once pitched for the team.

Promoted from Rome: Tanner Murphy...Before the Braves started to add catching prospects to the mix, it was Murphy who was their biggest hope for a long-term option behind the plate. Murphy struggled with Carolina for half of the year last season, but made some adjustments and slashed  .288/.412/.390 with 3 homers over his final 45 games with more walks than strikeouts. However, the numbers game worked against him and he opened the season with Rome. Playing time has been tough with Lucas Herbert and Brett Cumberland also getting reps behind the plate, but Murphy did use his superb plate discipline to walk 17.7% of the time and slash .227/.362/.320. He'll share time behind the plate in Florida with Jonathan Morales.

Activated off Taxi Squad and later demoted to Rome: Carlos Martinez...Martinez has been used as a fill-in catcher for the Braves and even appeared in a game for Florida - his first of the year. He's got a strong arm, but the bat is nearly non-existent.

By Jeff Morris. Follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeff

DL'd: Alex Jackson (#21)...It's unfortunate to see Jackson hit the DL considering the season he's had to this point. In 39 games, he's bashed ten homers - or one less than he hit last season - and slashed .297/.355/.568. The strikeout and walk rates are still substandard, but other than that, it has big a big bounce back from the former sixth overall pick who the Mariners basically gave away. His work behind the plate hasn't received many glowing reports, but he's got time to improve there. I am not sure of the nature of the DL trip, though Braves GM John Coppolella mentioned in last week's #AskCoppy that it's soreness and not a fracture.

Taxi Squad: Andres Santiago...A long time Dodgers minor leaguer, Sanitago has appeared in eight games this year - including two with Rome - and pitched pretty well (FIP and xFIP well under 3.00). He's also 27, so dominance against Single-A hitters isn't all that impressive.

Rome
Activated off Taxi Squad: Thomas Burrows (#37)...You have to assume Burrows might be next-in-line for a promotion to Rome. Acquired in the Gohara deal last winter, Burrows has a 2.01 ERA and a near 55% groundball rate over 22.1 innings with Rome.

Activated off Taxi Squad: Tucker Davidson...It's a weird dynamic with Davidson. His control is pretty good and he gets a bunch of strikeouts, but he still gives up a lot of hits. Some of that is the less-than-stellar infields in the lower minor leagues compounded with iffy defenses, Another part is that he racks up dominating stats against lefties, but faces a lot of righties and he's not that good against them.

Activated off Taxi Squad: Raymar Navarro...The Cuban righty opened the year in extended spring training and since late April, has been a regular member of this column as he gets shifted onto the team and back off. In five innings, the 26 year-old has yet to allow a run. He had a 5.78 ERA in 28 games with Carolina last year.

Demoted to Taxi Squad and later activated: Yeudi Grullon...Last week's pitching appearance for Grullon wasn't his first - he actually made two for Rome last year. He worked around a double and an intentional walk in the 17th, but gave up a two singles (with a pair of steals mixed in) to give up a go-ahead run in the 18th. A slick-fielding infielder, Grullon has flashed decent plate discipline and not much else.

Demoted to Taxi Squad and later activated: Kurt Hoekstra...A 21st rounder in 2015 out of Western Michigan (go Broncos!), Hoekstra has received regular playing at first base over Anthony Concepcion, but neither have hit well. Hoekstra is a max-effort utility infielder, but is a long shot to make it to Triple-A.

Demoted to Taxi Squad and later activated: Adam McCreery...Acquired in the Jhoulys Chacin trade last year, McCreery has been up and down with Rome this year with a few absolute stinkers mixed in. Beyond that, he's been mostly reliable. He worked last week's 18-inning affair and tossed three innings. He allowed no hits, faced two over the minimum and struck out four. The control he showed last year, which was much improved over his Angels' days, has not always been there for the southpaw this year, but the strikeouts are aplenty (28 in 17.2 ING).

Demoted from Mississippi and later demoted to Taxi Squad: Joe Rogers...After a two-game run with Mississippi was interrupted by a trip to the DL, Rogers got into his first game in nearly three weeks and pitched extremely well by striking out three of the seven he faced and not allowing a base runner. Presumably, he went to "Danville" for a fresh arm.

DL'd: Luis Mora...A recent addition to the Rome roster, Mora hit the DL after just 4.2 innings. He is notable for having triple digit max velocity, but struggling to pair that heat with secondary pitches.

DL'd: Joey Wentz (#14)...The Braves didn't need something like this to happen this weekend after watching Freeman, Gohara, and Jackson all hit the DL. I have not seen any updates, but we do know Wentz's trip to the DL came after taking a liner off his left leg. So far this season, Wentz had struck out over a batter an inning with impeccable control (1.8 walks per nine). His 2.13 FIP/3.03 xFIP was helping Wentz to live up to the early hype.

Special thanks to Jeff Morris, who takes some tremendous pictures of Braves minor leaguers. Follow him on Twitter @AtlBravesJeffAtlBravesJeff.

#AskCoppy Recap

Earlier today, Atlanta Braves general manager John Coppolella did another #AskCoppy on the twitters. I missed the entire thing because for some reason, I had kids and they annoyed me with wanting to have family time. I mean, honestly, what kind of evil children want you to play with them, color, and hang out? My evil children.

As such, I'm going to need to catch up on the Q&A session. Maybe you're like me and missed it, too, and I'm saving you some time by recapping. You're welcome, by the way. Usually, I embed tweets, but for the sake of my sanity, I'd rather we just do a quick-and-gritty recap. An Emilio Bonifacio recap, if you will.

Coppy says they are looking to improve the bullpen and hopeful that "those answers come from our farm system." Recently, I suggested Lucas Sims and possibly Sean Newcomb as possible answers. Let them get their feet wet with bullpen work. Coppy mentioned Sims later, but only as a possibility should the Braves need a starting pitcher. He does laud his improved control and changeup.

James Loney's signing yesterday may not be the final pickup the Braves make to try to add depth at first base. According to Coppy, they will explore the trade market. Might they see about Christian Walker, a right-handed hitting option the Braves briefly had during spring training who is absolutely raking for Reno in the Pacific Coast League? Another option the Braves are going to look at is Carlos Franco, who was promoted to Triple-A today.

Coppy recommends Fox Bros. and Yard House if you are considering where to eat around the stadium.

The Braves are trying to add draft choices, but teams are less willing to surrender them compared to previous years. Atlanta has previously used acquired draft choices for Austin Riley and Brett Cumberland among others.

Here's a surprise for me...Kris Medlen is still an Atlanta Brave. The Braves signed him last January, but two months later, he was released according to reports. However, a week later, his MILB page shows him assigned to extended spring training. According to Coppy, after a six shutout inning start recently in extending spring training, he'll be headed to an affiliate soon. (7:30 edit: It's been announced that Medlen will start this Saturday for Florida). Another veteran, Rex Brothers, could also join an affiliate very soon.

Luiz Gohara is expected to miss one start after hitting the DL with a triceps injury this week. "Precautionary" move by the Braves according to Coppy. Another prospect, Ozzie Albies, is just not ready for a callup as another question suggested moving Brandon Phillips to first. Meanwhile, Coppy wouldn't rule out the possibility to seeing 19-year-olds Kolby Allard and Mike Soroka this season. Highly unlikely, though.

Speaking of prospects, A.J. Minter is "throwing" and the Braves are hopeful he can finally get back on the mound in a couple of weeks. On the subject of injuries at the minor league level, Coppy was asked why it can be so difficult to figure out what injuries occur to minor leaguers and he explained that HIPAA laws are a part of it. One minor leaguer's injury was discussed, though. Kyle Kinman had Tommy John surgery and is out for the season.

Considering a big splash at third base and could use prospects to facilitate a deal. Restart the Evan Longoria-to-Atlanta rumor, guys.

OutfieldFlyRule's Andy Harris asked how much Statcast was being used. "We definitely use it, but like everything it is just one piece of the puzzle.  Lots of factors go into each decision, but it's cool stuff." Translation...it's cool. These are the kind of answers that are both intriguing and disappointing. I'd like to see Coppy's answer look more like, "It's incredibly valuable and every decision we make involves using Statcast data in some facet."

Once again, Coppy takes full responsibility for the Hector Olivera debacle. Of course, it would help if Alex Wood wasn't pitching like a Cy Young candidate.

There's a chance that Sean Rodriguez is going to play this year. But...it's not likely.

On the earlier season move of bringing up Aaron Blair for a couple of days before replacing him with Matt Wisler, Coppy explained that Blair was up in case an arm was needed while Wisler was being given a chance to claim a bullpen spot, but as we know, he ultimately failed.

Coppy says Dustin Peterson will be back in a week. Guess what? He was in tonight's Gwinnett starting lineup. On the other hand, Alex Jackson hit the DL today. No fractures, but he's dealing with some soreness. I still haven't seen what exactly the injury is.

So, that's my recap. Once again, we are very lucky to have Coppy in that he's willing to spend two-and-a-half hours answering questions to Braves fans a day after finding out his best player is gone for two months.

Braves Sign James Loney

By Keith Allison [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

I was in the middle of writing a (longer) article on what the Braves should do in the Freddie Freeman-less present, but Atlanta decided to keep me from polishing it up by announcing what their plans were. The Braves have signed former Dodger and Ray James Loney. The now 33-year-old also has played for the Red Sox (he did?) and most recently the Mets last season. He hit just .265/.307/.397.

Before signing with the Braves, Loney had been in the Tigers' system. In 16 games, he had a .315 wOBA before being cut less than two weeks ago.

James Loney is definitely not Freddie Freeman, but what do the Braves have? Presumably, the deal is a major league one as the Braves acted so decisively to acquire him. That would mean that the Braves will need to find a 40-man roster spot - maybe Freeman? - and drop a member of the 25-man roster once Loney is ready to be activated for the next couple of days. That likely will be Rio Ruiz, who was called up to join the Braves for tonight's game.

(7 PM edit: According to Mark Bowman and David O'Brien, the deal is actually a minor league deal. As such, my opinion of the signing is much different. I like this deal for minor league depth.)

So, did the Braves make the right decision? In my opinion...no.

It's not that I don't understand the impulse. Atlanta is looking for a stable option to drop at first base without sacrificing much in terms of money or players (if they traded for someone). Certainly, Loney has played a lot more first base than any of the other options the Braves had in-house. However, Loney has hit a wall. It's called the 30's. In his 20s, Loney was a .285/.340/.421 hitter. Those are below-average numbers for a first baseman, but overall, decent stats. You might even say he was a poor man's Nick Markakis.

The last three years, or his Age-30 to Age-32 seasons, have seen a stark decline in production to .281/.325/.378. In his defense, his numbers look a bit better when you limit him to a platoon option (.295/.342/.401). Are the Braves going to platoon him, though? Seems unlikely - mainly because they lack the option to do so short of moving Flowers to first when a southpaw is on the mound. That, by the way, is not the worst idea.

Furthermore, a narrative about Loney needs to die. That is the narrative that Loney is an excellent defender at first base. It's never been particularly accurate and even less so now. Since the beginning of 2014, Loney has a -2.5 UZR/150. Of the 16 first basemen that qualify, that ranks him 12th. Braves fans typically scoff at defensive metrics because Freddie Freeman ranks so poorly in them, but context matters. Freeman ranks 4th in UZR/150 since 2014 with a 3.3 grade.

Personally, I would have stayed in-house and tried to talk a guy like Loney into a minor league pact as backup. In the mean time, I would have gone with Jace Peterson at first base and Rio Ruiz at third. Both would need platoon partners and I would have gone with Flowers and Johan Camargo until Adonis Garcia was ready. But alas, the Braves didn't call me.

No matter what the Braves could have done, there would have been no replacing Freeman. That much is clear. Things are likely to be bleak over the next couple of months as the Braves wish for a quick recovery for Freeman. As a great man once said, we are now living the darkest timeline.