Sean Rodriguez Trade A Precursor to More?

Jeff Morris - Follow on Twitter

It's been a busy afternoon for the Atlanta Braves. Shortly after the surprising announcement that they had promoted Max Fried to the Show, the team announced that they had dealt utility man Sean Rodriguez to the Pirates in exchange for minor leaguer Connor Joe. Jace Peterson returns from Gwinnett to replace Rodriguez.

Rodriguez signed on Thanksgiving last fall to the tune of $11.5 million over two seasons. At the time, the Braves loved what Rodriguez provided for them. He could play everywhere and gave the Braves a bridge at two positions - second and third - where they were waiting on prospects to develop. He also gave them an option against left-hand pitching, which the Braves needed with Peterson penciled in at second base.

But things changed in a hurry. Before spring training, Rodriguez was involved in a horrific car wreck that sent his family to the hospital. While everyone would be okay enough to head home in a few days, Rodriguez would need shoulder surgery. In response, the Braves acquired Brandon Phillips to be their everyday second baseman. Initial fears were that Rodriguez might miss the entire season, but the tireless worker returned to play in his first rehab game on July 1. After a few weeks, he made his return to the majors on July 17. Over 15 games and 47 PA, Rodriguez had done little at the plate except hit a pair of pinch-hit home runs.

Rodriguez seemed to fit less into the July and August version of the Braves than he had with the proposed 25-man roster in November and December. The Braves had added Matt Adams and Danny Santana to the team while Johan Camargo had emerged to become a significant member of the Braves moving forward. The recent call-up of Ozzie Albies only compounded the problem of finding Rodriguez at-bats - even with Matt Kemp on the mend.

Who the Braves received in the deal isn't all that important. But...Connor Joe was the 39th overall selection in the 2014 draft. He was considered a bit of a reach at the time as a borderline Top 100 prospect. Despite being primarily a 1B/RF in college, the Pirates decided to focus Joe on catching - something he was more of a project at. He quickly was hurt and didn't play the rest of the summer. Once healthy, the Pirates scrapped that idea and sent him to first base, then third base, and then the corner outfield slots. He's only made a cameo at 3B this season as he's shifted between 1B and the corner OF positions more.

Joe wasn't drafted for his glove, though. Unfortunately, hitting professional pitching is a bit tougher than hitting West Coast Conference pitching. Over parts of three seasons, Joe has slashed .257/.352/.361 while climbing from A-ball to Double-A. He doesn't strike out much and is lauded for his professionalism, but he's not much of a prospect right now.

What the Braves received in the deal is much more important.

First, they received some financial flexibility this season and next. Similar to how the Braves traded away Jaime Garcia for a project rather than pay down salary to - in essence - buy a prospect, the Braves are making more of a salary dump. Rodriguez was owed roughly $2M this year and $5M next year. That's cleared with this deal. There is also the subject of the $1.5M signing bonus. I don't have any particulars related to that, but typically, signing bonuses are spread evenly over a contract. The Braves have probably paid half of the signing bonus already and might even pay the other half. Ignoring that, they saved $7M or so.

Second, the Braves cleared another 40-man roster spot. I mentioned how tight things could become on the 40-man roster a few days ago when addressing the Ronald Acuna situation. With this trade, Rodriguez's spot is cleared. For more on players who might need to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason, here's a list. Joe, by the way, will be eligible.

Third, this deal naturally leads to the possibility that more is on the way. By more, I mean both more trades of veterans through the waiver trade process and more in the sense that something bigger might happen. While adding a well-regarded established player at this point seems unlikely - Chris Archer isn't going through waivers, people - the Braves could set themselves up to add another prospect. As long as a prospect is not on the 40-man roster, they do not have to pass through waivers.

How might such a scenario play out? Say a Contending Team is trying to add a big piece to their roster. That might come from the Braves, but it doesn't have to. Say the Contending Team needs to clear salary to add the player they want. The Braves, who have shaved off $6M or $7M or so in salary, could absorb a significant contract while also getting a good prospect. In some respects, that's similar to the Touki Toussaint trade.

Either way, the Braves felt that paying Rodriguez $5M in 2018 was a bit too much. It's unfortunate because of everything Rodriguez went through - the car wreck, the quick rehab, the early struggles. Rodriguez came to Atlanta to be a difference maker for a young team on the rise. Now, he heads back to Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, Atlanta is primed to make another big August move or two as they look to build toward contention in 2018.

Making Sense of Yesterday's Roster & Lineup Decisions

G-Braves Media

It was already going to be a big day as far as major league debuts go, but the surprising afternoon news of another new addition to the list of players to play in the bigs was a bit confusing at first. The decision to bring Ozzie Albies to the major leagues yesterday was given some context as the day went on.

Albies WAS NOT brought to the majors for an injury. He WAS NOT brought to the majors for to spend some time around the team. He WAS NOT even brought to the majors because the Braves needed depth. He WAS brought in as Brandon Phillips' replacement at second base. Quite simply, the Braves decided to bring Albies up to be the difference maker we believe he can be.

But that wasn't the only decision the Braves made yesterday. Let's look at each decision and what they mean for the Braves over the next couple of months.

The big news of the day was originally going to be Lucas Sims Day. One of the last holdovers from the Frank Wren regime, Sims was essentially handed Jaime Garcia's spot in the rotation after a brief reminder that Aaron Blair is unlikely to be the guy. Unless "the guy" is defined to mean "remember the guy who also came over with Dansby Swanson and Ender Inciarte?"

Sims went six innings while allowing six hits, including a homer, and three runs. He walked nobody and struck out three. He also got a pickoff and might have had a better night had Tyler Flowers not air-mailed a throw to third or had Danny Santana not gone all Roger Dorn on a hard grounder. Even with that in mind, it was the kind of game Braves fans have been clamoring for from the bounty of young starters the team has loaded up on for the last few years.

Regardless of what the future may hold for the young righty, the overall impression of Sims being in the majors is a good one. The right-handed fireballer had taken a big step forward this year and earned his right to join Sean Newcomb in the rotation. Atlanta needs to figure out what they have in these guys at some point and with the Braves effectively admitting the season is over, it's time to look toward 2018. Guys like Sims, Newcomb, and Albies will hopefully all be in the mix for that team.

And speaking of Albies, he went hitless in his debut, though he did walk in three trips to the plate. Surprisingly, before last night, the only two Braves to make their big league debut this season for a team very much in a youth movement were Johan Camargo and Newcomb. That total was doubled last night and the smart money suggests others are on their way.

The choice of Albies - at this moment - was a bit of a head scratcher, but let's put this into perspective. The Braves did not deal Brandon Phillips at the trading deadline. That's not to say they won't trade him this month as his contract will certainly pass through waivers, but as of right now, Phillips remains a Brave. That speaks to a shallow market for sure, but could it speak to something else? Could the Braves have had a deal on the table for Phillips that would send him elsewhere only for the second baseman to use his partial no-trade clause to block it?

The most likely answer is the one that Brian Snitker provided - "We got Brandon and he’s been really, really good. But it’s time to see the kid.”

What does this mean for Phillips moving forward? Well, he'll be given a chance to play third base should he choose to do so, but the bigger impression is this - his time with the Braves is limited. Atlanta could go with Phillips at second and Albies at shortstop while shifting Camargo to third (more on that in a sec), but that doesn't seem something they are currently interested in. Right now, it's Albies at second and that's going to be a regular thing.

Which is good. Like Swanson before him, if Albies is in the majors, he should be in the lineup. For now, it looks like he'll share the middle of the diamond with Camargo. In an almost funny way, the Braves have never kept Albies and Swanson together for very long. Despite being the expected double play combo for the next decade, the duo hasn't spent a lot of time together outside of a month-and-a-half last season in Mississippi before Swanson was called up to the majors.

As I said, for the moment, Camargo is at shortstop, but it doesn't seem likely that he'll be joined by Freddie Freeman on the left side of the infield. Instead, Freeman will be shifted to first base - which is weird simply because Freeman actually hasn't been that bad at third base. Instead of Freeman at third, it looks like Sean Rodriguez and Danny Santana will share the position for the time being. When rosters expand, we'll probably see more lineups with Rio Ruiz returning and Swanson likely pushing Camargo to third base more.

Where does that leave Matt Adams? In left field - at least until Matt Kemp returns. He got the start last night but left the game after just five innings due to dizziness. What that means to the future of Adams playing left field is unknown. What is very confusing about this move is that Freeman is a better third baseman than Adams is a left fielder, yet the Braves went in this direction. Some have suggested that Adams playing left field is better for his trade value. I don't know how to respond to that without laughing.

Whatever the motivation for benching Phillips and sending Adams to left might be - and I'm betting it's simply that they didn't find any real takers at the deadline - the Braves seem content with their decisions from last night provided Adams doesn't suffer any more dizziness issues. So, that leaves us with Sims and Albies taking up new important roles with the team, potentially the Matt Adams Plays Left Field Experience and a mix of Rodriguez and Santana at third base. Defensively, this is not ideal and this is was not a very good defense to begin with.

For Braves fans, as confusing as the last 24 hours have been, one thing is for certain - having Albies and Sims begin another youth movement makes the Braves more fun and exciting to watch. Considering they are 3-12 since getting to .500, that's at least something.

Transaction Tuesday: What a Week It Was!

It was a very eventful week for the Atlanta Braves' system so no dilly-dallying. Let's dive in.

*The moves covered in this edition of Transaction Tuesday cover July 10 to July 17. A number in parenthesis represents the player's ranking in the midseason WOW Top 50.

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Atlanta
Activated: Sean Rodriguez...From a possibility to miss the season to making his Braves debut on July 17. Say what you will about the Braves, but their players don't seem to miss as much time as other teams. Much has been made about Sean-Rod's brief and ultimately unproductive rehab stint for the Braves as he went 3-for-39 with 12 Ks. But don't get caught i[ in the stats too much when it comes to rehab stints. It's all about timing and the Braves likely felt his timing was back - plus he didn't have much time left available to rehab. Moving on, where does Rodriguez fit in? When originally signed, Rodriguez looked like a possibility to share time at second base and third base - along with filling in elsewhere as needed. The Braves now have Brandon Phillips at second base and either Freddie Freeman or Johan Camargo available to play third base. Regardless, Rodriguez should be used frequently when a left-hander is on the mound (.332 wOBA, 111 wRC+ against LHP the last three years). That could mean playing third base like he did yesterday evening or spelling Nick Markakis, who hasn't hit lefties much at all over the last two-and-a-half seasons. Rodriguez is a great player to have on your bench for what he brings to the team and fortunately, this version of the Braves can use him properly as previous year's teams would have overexposed him from playing him too often.

Activated: Danny Santana...During his three-game rehab stint, Santana enjoyed his stay with Gwinnett. In the second game, he went a spectacular 5-for-5 with a double and a steal. He added two more hits the next day before returning to the Braves. Santana has been better with the Braves than he was with the Twins, but much of that is due to Santana being awful with Minnesota to open the season. Santana is a decent enough fit for the Braves, though. He's a switch-hit bat who can play a number of positions and provides a little bit of a speed factor off the bench. Plus, for fans of the Braves, it helps that his name isn't Emilio Bonifacio.

Transferred from 10-day DL to 60-day DL: Armando Rivero (strained right shoulder)...We haven't heard from the hard-throwing righty all year. Some of this may be gamesmanship, but Rivero has been stuck on the DL since early this spring and there has been almost nothing written about it. No ramping up for a rehab stint. No updates on progress. Nothing. Don't plan on seeing Rivero this season.

DL: Jason Motte (back strain)...The Braves have been fortunate this year with a number of players who've had results that were much more favorable than their metrics. Motte is one of those players. With a 3.76 ERA over 31 games, one might say he's been serviceable. When you add in his 18% strikeout rate, 9% walk rate, 17% HR/FB rate, and 30% hard-hit ball rate...you start to get concerned when you see him get the call from Brian Snitker. And to be honest, Motte has been this guy ever since Tommy John surgery took him out of commission in 2013 while with the Cardinals. In the three years before 2017, spent with three different teams, Motte had an 18% strikeout rate, a 7% walk rate, a 12% HR/FB rate, and a 35% hard-hit ball rate. His ERA during that time was 60 points higher. The smart money is on Motte's ERA getting that high again.

Gwinnett

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Promoted from Mississippi: Ronald Acuna (#1)...This one was a biggy. Acuna began the year in Florida and after a month of doing well (but not overwhelming awesome), he received a bit of a surprising promotion. He followed that up by destroying the Southern League to the tune of .326/.374/.520. At the ripe old age of 19, he was a Double-A All-Star and if you weren't already paying attention, he put a show on in batting practice at the Futures Game and in the field during the game. Acuna only played 40 games in Low-A last year and now, he could be an injury away from being called up to start in the Show. Not one to rest on his laurels, Acuna went 6-for-21 over his first five games at Triple-A with two doubles and a pair of home runs. It's easy to overhype prospects, but Acuna keeps reminding us that occasionally, the prospect deserves the hype.

Rehab: Arodys Vizcaino...Placed on the DL last week with an index finger strain, Vizcaino's rehab assignment is not planned to last long. He threw a perfect inning to start Monday's game and struck out one. Returning to Atlanta healthy and productive won't just help the Braves, but also revisit some early July rumors about Vizcaino being a target for contending teams. Vizcaino has closer experience, the ability to reach triple digits on the gun, and has great composure on the mound. Surely someone will be interested in him provided he's good to go. Of course, Atlanta might not be anxious to trade him depending on how the next week goes.

Activated: Caleb Dirks (#40)...Dirks hasn't been as lights-out as he was before this season. His 3.59 FIP would be a new full-season high and he's already surrendered four homers this season after giving up just seven over three seasons. That said, he's still carrying a 29% strikeout rate and a 8% walk rate and that's very impressive. His activation ends a nearly month-long stay on the DL. It was just his second trip to the DL since joining the organization following the 2014 draft. Dirks has routinely posted very solid numbers in the past and could be in line for a shot at the bigs very soon.

Recalled and Optioned: Jason Hursh (#42)...Five times. That's how many times Hursh has been optioned to the minors this season. His latest call-up of three days wasn't even the shortest one of 2017 for the righty. All the while, he's thrown 5.2 innings while allowing one run, two unintentional walks, and four Ks while a member of the Braves bullpen. He also appeared in 23 games between Gwinnett and Mississippi with five saves and is flowing with a 3.11 ERA and a similar FIP as well. Personally, I would like a much longer look for Hursh. It's difficult to know which of these borderline prospects are keepers with so little time to impress before being passed over for higher-rated prospects. They need to get their chance and show something very quickly. Hursh has done well when called upon, but can't seem to stay in the majors long enough to establish himself. The longer this continues, the more likely it is for Hursh to get lost in the shuffle.

Optioned: Micah Johnson...With Johnson healthy, but no spot for him in the majors, he was optioned to Gwinnett. Acquired in a trade in mid-January with the Dodgers, Johnson was on his way to make the roster this spring before a fractured left wrist on a dive took him out of the competition. He's appeared nine times since beginning his rehab stint and has looked fairly good (11-for-31, 2B, 3 BB, 8 K, 5 SB). A former second baseman, Johnson has only played the outfield this season. As the Braves cycle Acuna all over the outfield, Johnson will likely be the guy playing center when Acuna isn't.

Optioned: Jace Peterson...For the third time this season, the Braves option Peterson to the minors. He's been tremendous with Gwinnett so they are happy to have him back. His most recent appearance in the majors includes three games as a pinch-hitter. He made the final one a memorable one, smacking a ball into the Chop House for his first homer since last August 21. That one was pretty memorable, too, as it was a walk-off bomb off Shawn Kelley to beat the Nationals. Despite his mammoth homer on Saturday, he just hasn't done enough to justify a spot in the majors. He's a useful player when an injury opens a spot as he can play all over, but he's earned an AAAA label right now.

Outrighted and traded: Chaz Roe...It's bad enough to be waived and have no teams claim you. But Roe's frustrations grew Monday night as he was charged with three runs as the Braves wasted an excellent Lucas Sims non-start (6 ING, 3 ER, 11 Ks in relief of Vizcaino). Roe broke camp with the team this spring largely because he was out-of-options. After a trio of ugly appearances, he landed on the DL with a lat strain. He made four appearances in the minors over two rehab stints (a flare-up stopped his rehab once), but the Braves passed on bringing back to Atlanta. (Update...today saw Roe traded to Tampa for cash.)

Mississippi
Promoted from Florida: Tyler Neslony (#46)...A ninth rounder drafted largely because the Braves needed to cut some corners to sign higher-rated prospects, Neslony was a surprising force at the plate for the Fire Frogs. He slashed .309/.378/.442. Included was an attempt to teach the former Texas Tech star first base. That didn't go so hot (9 errors in less than 200 innings), but Neslony will continue to move up the ladder. To this point, Neslony has shown a knack for hitting righties (.310/.377/.457) and could develop into a platoon bat who can play the outfield corners and the occasional first base. He's off to a 4-for-16 start in Double-A with a double, a walk, and two strikeouts since the promotion. He's played only outfield so far.

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Promoted from Florida: Austin Riley (#13)...A lot of the high-profile promotions last week made sense, but Riley's was a bit confusing. He wasn't exactly lighting it up at Florida and, at 20-years-old, was still young for the level. Nevertheless, Atlanta promoted the strong third baseman for a trial-by-fire in the Southern League. With Florida, Riley was hitting .252/.310/.408 with a dozen homers. He's yet to show improved plate discipline, though he did shave off 5% off his strikeout rate from last season. His ISO was also down 50 points so there's that. Honestly, this is the one promotion I absolutely don't understand. Riley's first five games included four hits, including a home run last night, and two walks along with five K's.

Promoted from Florida: Jacob Webb...Needing a new challenge, Webb heads up to the Southern League. In 22 games with Florida this year, Webb K'd 48 in 41.1 innings with a 1.74 ERA. For Webb, he's making up for lost time. After being plucked in the 18th round all the way back in 2014, Webb was solid in 33.2 innings in the GCL. He was a rising prospect before feeling a pop in his elbow on the first day of minor league spring training in 2015. After the dreaded TJS, Webb returned in 2016 to throw 13 innings before being unleashed this season. For more on Webb, check out my Random Prospect Sunday column from early March.

Demoted from Gwinnett: Enrique Burgos...Gwinnett has a blog that regularly gives updates on the team. Last week, they profiled Burgos. Acquired the same day the Braves picked up Matt Adams, Burgos was struggling in the Arizona system. However, he's been nothing but great with Gwinnett. In 13 games, he's allowed a single run in 14 innings. For that matter, he's only allowed three hits. Add in the seven walks and 17 strikeouts and you have a reliever who is flourishing. So why the demotion? The Gwinnett bullpen is getting quite full with veterans.

Demoted from Gwinnett: Stephen Gaylor...This is the eleventh Transaction Tuesday I've done this season and Gaylor has shown up four times. Such is the life of organizational depth. Gaylor has split 30 games between Double-A and Triple-A and actually has slightly better numbers in Triple-A. His value to the Braves is in his defense, speed, and the fact the Braves trust him to just do his job no matter how much they jerk him around. These guys don't get a lot of love in prospect rankings, but they serve a purpose for the organization.

DL: Jesse Biddle (#47)...The former top Phillies prospect has been quietly solid for the M-Braves. Over 27 games, all out of the pen, Biddle has struck out a quarter of all batters while displaying the best control of his career. No word on what pushed him to the DL. He did reach 49.2 innings in fairly quick order. If he doesn't miss much time - or isn't on too restrictive of an innings limit - Biddle could be in line for a promotion if the Braves are so inclined.

DL: Bradley Roney...On-and-off the DL. That's been Roney's season. The good news is that he's striking out a ton of batters for Mississippi. And I mean a ton. 35.3%. Of course, with Roney, it always comes down to the but. In this case, it's a "but, he's also walked 17%." Now 24-years-old, Roney has logged just 18 total games this year - 15 in Double-A. He has yet to show any significant advancement. You can't strike out everyone and you certainly can't get by walking every fifth batter.

Florida
Promoted from Rome: Justin Ellison...A toolsy 12th rounder back in 2015, Ellison was easy to forget about heading into 2017. Last year, his first above rookie-level, the outfielder batted .247/.304/.370 while showing decent range and good speed (18 steals). However, the triple slash and presence of guys higher on the depth chart kept him in Rome to open this season. His 45-game run in Rome was hardly noteworthy and he was in the midst of some struggles at the time of his promotion, but in his defense, he did flash some strong overall numbers against righties (.271/.321/.481) and was humming before the All-Star Break stopped his mojo. Ellison has worked to cut down on his swing, but it's still long and with a pronounced uppercut. There are some qualities here that deserve second and third looks, though. He's a project, but with plus athletism already in his toolbag.

Promoted from Rome: Brandon White...With back-to-back picks, the Braves selected a pair of Brandon White's. This particular one is the 12th-round variation. The 13th-round one was cut and last played for Southern Illinois in the Frontier League. A righty out of Lander University in South Carolina, Brandon Steven White was solid for Danville last year and so far this season, he's built on that success while serving as Rome's closer. His ten saves is five more than second place in the organization. He also struck out nearly a batter an inning and showed solid control. In his first outing with Florida, he surrendered a solo home run and struck out two over a pair of frames.

Demoted from Mississippi: Andrew Daniel...Signed near the end of June, Daniel went 2-for-21 with Mississippi, but his demotion was about the guy he effectively replaces in the Florida lineup - Austin Riley. After a good debut in the Pioneer League back in 2014, Daniel hasn't shown much offense since. He'll try to change that with Florida.

Promoted to Mississippi and Demoted Back: Junior Rincon...Speaking of recent signees, Rincon was part of this column last week. He made one appearance during a stay in the Southern League and allowed a run in one inning. His only outing with Florida, which came before the promotion, saw Rincon surrendered three runs over 1.2 ING.

Rome
Promoted from Danville: Ryan Schlosser...Ryan Thomas Schlosser is the oldest-looking 21-year-old I have ever seen. A 32nd rounder a year ago, Schlosser was used as a closer with the GCL squad before a late-season promotion to Danville. He started this year with the APPY club and looked decent enough in six games before this promotion. Schlosser is a sinker baller we are still trying to get a good handle on because we haven't seen much out of the big kid from the small college. I will say this - he's a fun guy. Danville recently did a fidget spinner giveaway and he traded a bat to a kid for one of them.

Promoted from Danville: Izzy Wilson (#41)...Is there a faster outfield in the minors than Cristian Pache, Randy Ventura, and Izzy Wilson? Possibly, but these guys are flyers. Izzy came onto the scene with a big GCL campaign in 2015 where he belted ten homers in just 48 games. He also walked a bunch - along with striking out a whole lot. A lot was hoped for when the 2016 season opened for Danville, but Wilson was marred in a season-long slump that ended with a .591 OPS and just two homers. A return assignment was given to Wilson and he did not disappoint. He continued to strike out a lot but got on base at a .338 clip with a nearly .300 ISO over 17 games. The Braves took pity on the Appalachian League pitchers and brought Wilson to Rome. Four games in, he's struck out seven times. He's also doubled and swiped a pair of bases. Wilson is a fun prospect because there is a lot here to like. Can he put it together enough to be a Top-30 or Top-20 prospect for the Braves? He'll have to clean up his game (career .215 hitter so far with 129 K's in 107 games), but the power and speed combination - along with good defense - should keep Wilson in the discussion.

Danville
Promoted from GCL: Walter Borkovich...Undrafted out of Michigan State, Borkovich was a four-year performer for the Spartans. He was a control artist who didn't get many strikeouts while in school, which predictably didn't grab much draft attention. Signing with the Braves after the draft, Borkovich appeared twice in the GCL and tossed four scoreless innings. His first outing in Danville resulted in his first professional win as he went 2.2 scoreless innings with 4 Ks. He's not a big prospect by any means, but Borkovich was clocked in the mid-90's in college so he's not just throwing junk up there. He didn't do enough to get drafted, but the Braves have a knack for finding undrafted kids and turning them into something useful.

Promoted from GCL: Jasseel De La Cruz...A late addition to the 2014-15 signing class, Cruz struggled in 2015 before shaving off three-and-a-half runs off his ERA last year in a second stint in the DSL. His success warranted a promotion to the Gulf Coast League to finish 2016 and he was dominant with 15 scoreless innings, four hits allowed, a walk, and 12 Ks. It's a bit surprising he returned to GCL to open this season, but there was a method to Atlanta's madness. They wanted to change him over to a starter and over four starts, Cruz had a 1.89 ERA. Atlanta ran out of reasons to keep him in the GCL and he heads to Danville. Cruz could be a guy who climbs up the prospect ladder with some strong numbers in Danville.

Promoted from GCL: Kevin Maitan (#4)...Well, that was quick. After just nine games in the GCL, the Braves send the 17-year-old switch-hitter to Danville to continue his professional career. Did we learn anything in the GCL? Well, Maitan did strike out ten times in 37 PA. That's not great. He also reached base 13 times, which is pretty good for the first nine games of your career. Through two games in Danville, Maitan is 2-for-8 with 3 Ks. He's also mercifully moved Derian Cruz over to second base, which might be a better spot for the 2015-16 top signee. Between the two, the Braves have spent $6.25M. They'll gladly spend more if they progress to the majors - especially with Maitan, who is one of those "the sky is the limit" players.

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Promoted from GCL: Drew Waters (#22)...Maitan got nine games in the GCL - Waters received 14. Regardless, the do-everything outfielder was explosive, hitting .347/.448/.571 with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs. He stole a pair of bases and walked seven times. Not too shabby for the switch-hitting prospect. He added three more hits, including a double, in his two-game run with the D-Braves so far. Our own Stephen Tolbert is convinced Waters will soon be the Braves' best outfield prospect once Acuna graduates to the majors. So far, he looks right on.

GCL
Demoted from Danville: Gilbert Suarez...Roster spots were needed and Suarez returns to the GCL, where he's spent the two last two years following his 18th round selection back in 2015. Suarez was excellent for GCL a year ago with only two earned runs in 23.2 ING but was absolutely lit up in six games with Danville. As a team, the D-Braves have allowed 15 home runs. Four have come on pitches from Suarez. His ERA was 12.60 in 10 innings. So, this wasn't just a roster numbers thing in regards to Suarez. The righty came into professional baseball with a low-90's fastball, a good-looking curve, and what may have been a changeup. But in his third year, his inability to figure out the APPY League is troubling. Worse, his first game back in the GCL didn't go so hot as he was saddled with two earned runs in an inning and a third - tying the amount of ER he gave up in 23.2 innings last year.

Demoted from Danville: Ramon Taveras...Just promoted, Tavarez returns to the GCL without toeing the mound for the D-Braves. This is his fourth year of professional ball and he's yet to appear in a game for Atlanta's top rookie-league team - let alone progress into A-ball. Nothing really stands out about his numbers. He's been mostly a reliever and not a very successful one. At this rate, it would be shocking to see Taveras in 2018 for the Braves unless he starts to build some momentum quick.

DSL
All quiet on the Dominican front.

So Let's Talk About Dansby Swanson

Wikimedia Commons

Baseball is hard. I flamed out around T-ball so I really can't imagine how hard major league baseball is. I know far more players fail at it than succeed so players struggling shouldn't ever really surprise us, especially young players. It should be obvious but Aaron Judge is an outlier. The problem is we've had guys like Judge and Bellinger and Correa and Seager come up recently and light the world on fire so our expectations have gotten skewed. Most guys aren't them.

I say all that to say Dansby Swanson is having a rough rookie year. To put it nicely, he's really struggled. To put it more directly, he's been the worst SS in the National League. You can parse up different endpoints and find patches where he's been decent or even good at times but overall he's just been bad.

Here's his full stat line so far in 2017: 

Ouch. 

Now early on in the year, Swanson's poor offensive numbers could be heavily attributed to some bad luck. For first 6 weeks of the season or so he was running about a .150 BABIP and led the team in lineouts. He was doing his part, hitting the ball hard, he just wasn't seeing the results. And that happens. Baseball can be cruel. But as of today his BABIP sits at .272. Still a decent amount of poor luck but not enough to excuse the overall numbers. And the hard hit balls have been replaced with pop ups and rolled-over grounders to SS. 

So why has it been such a struggle for Swanson this year? For that we look a little deeper into the numbers. Looking at his peripherals one thing jumps out; his strikeout to power numbers are way off.

Follow along:

- Swanson's contact rate is 76%. For context, other players right around a 76% contact rate include George Springer, Adam Duvall, Paul Goldschmidt, Corey Seager, and Bryce Harper. 

- Swanson's strikeout rate is almost 23%. Other players right around a 23% strikeout rate include Giancarlo Stanton, Corey Seager, Edwin Encarnacion, Marcel Ozuna, and Jose Bautista. 

You should notice a theme. 

Now here's ISO. Swanson's ISO is .102 Guys around a .102 ISO include Byron Buxton, Jose Iglesias, Alex Gordon, Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis. (Braves have a bit of a power problem)

Here's that same concept in graph form:

This is every qualified hitter in major league baseball by ISO/K Rate. Where you don't want to be on this graph is the bottom-third. Where you really don't want to be is bottom right. See the yellow dot in the bottom right - that's Swanson. Just for context the dot in the upper left with a .300 ISO and an 11% K rate is Joey Votto. The one in the upper right with a .360 ISO and 30% K rate is Judge.

Swanson is making contact and striking out at the rate of an elite power hitter but producing the power of a singles slap hitter. Power is how you make up for strikeouts. It's why striking out isn't as bad for a hitter as getting a strikeout is good for a pitcher. Because hitters can offset their strikeouts with plus power output. Aaron Judge has a 30% K rate but a 187 wRC+. How? He successfully trades off quantity of contact for quality of contact. Swanson doesn't. At least not yet.

The "why" can be a long answer. It's been well documented he struggles with off speed stuff, especially sliders so that obviously plays a big role. But his batted ball profile shows he's probably never going to be a big power hitter so it seems the quickest way to offensive improvement is focusing on making more contact. And then as he gets older, a little bigger, start trading off some of that contact for power.

With Sean Rodriguez coming back yesterday the question of whether to send him down started making the rounds again. I've gone on the record before saying I would send him down but I understand the argument the other way. I also don't see it as the dramatic event others do. 

For one, your contact rate is absolutely something you can work on in AAA. People say "you wont see big league sliders in AAA" but that's missing the forest for the trees. Dansby looks like a guy who went from seeing AA off-speed for a couple months straight to seeing the best breaking balls in the world. Maybe the step in between the two is exactly what he needs to feel more comfortable and make more contact. His profile never matched that of a guy who should've completely skipped AAA and it's very difficult to work on your game in the majors.

Two, people forget last year was Swanson's first full year in pro ball. He got hit in the face after being drafted in 2015 which basically washed that whole year. And even with 2016 being his first full year, he was in the majors by August. He's had an incredibly short amount of time to work on his game in the minors. It would be less a demotion and more giving him the time he never had. 

Whatever they decide to do, I hope in involves the option where he plays everyday. The idea that he's magically going to get better sitting on the bench seems silly to me. You also hope the PR variable isn't considered in this decision. Atlanta has obviously made Dansby a huge part of their 2017 marketing campaign with merchandise, commercials, promos, etc. and sending him down wouldn't make them look the best. But you make those calls around a young, unproven player knowing the risk and you can't compound one mistake with another. 

Dansby seems like a really good kid with a mature outlook on all this and my guess is that professional attitude is what makes this decision so difficult for the people around him everyday. You can tell how much his coaches and teammates think of him. But players get demoted. It happens. Ozzie Albies was demoted back to AA last year and it hasn't affected his career one bit. Sometimes a step back is required in order to move forward.

Time to Move Brandon Phillips

Jeff Morris - Follow on Twitter

John Coppolella should trade Brandon Phillips.

Sure, we can talk into lengths (and have) about the limitations with trading Phillips. To sum up, the market is likely small for a second baseman who can't play anywhere else and has the ability to block trades to a dozen other teams. Such a small market makes Phillips a guy who won't bring much in a trade. Even though he's dirt cheap (less than a half-a-million for the rest of the year) and could be in line for a 2 fWAR season, without many teams in the hunt, Phillips just isn't going to attract the attention Coppolella would like. Coppy is not the type of general manager to pull the trigger on a trade just to trade someone. He's all about maximizing value and giving away Phillips for a C-grade prospect is not what he usually goes for.

But the Braves aren't acquiring a prospect for Phillips if they do trade the veteran. Sure, in the basic sense, they are getting a player or two for Phillips, but what they are truly acquiring is a roster spot and a spot in the lineup. What the Braves are trading for is time for Ozzie Albies, who many, myself included, feel is ready for a promotion to the major leagues. If it weren't for the presence of Albies, I wouldn't be promoting a trade of Phillips. While I wouldn't have minded one, considering that I don't think the market will develop for him in a significant way, I would also be okay with keeping him.

With Albies in the mix, though, I want Phillips traded. It has nothing to do with the veteran and everything to do with beginning the Albies era. Consider this: Albies is now hitting .292/.336/.451 over 80 games. He batted a measly .248/.307/.351 at Gwinnett during a 56-game run there last year so he's improved upon those numbers notably. Also, those full-season numbers don't tell you how Albies has played recently. From May 8 to July 9, Albies has slashed .318/.368/.495 with nine doubles, six triples, six home runs, and is successful in all but one of his 13 stolen base attempts. Feel free to troll, "is that good?"

Not only is he showing a lot of new power with a career-high of seven home runs, four of them have come against left-hand pitching and his overall marks against southpaws continue to improve - a product of working with a pretty good switch-hitter in his own right, Chipper Jones. Oh, and when I said he's already set a career-high in homers, it's worth remembering that he's also matched his career total entering the season. If you are looking for a word to describe Albies' season to this point, it's the same word my three-year-old's preschool teacher used to describe my Riley monster - "blossoming."

Remember that Albies is only 20 years-old. That is seven years younger than the average International League player. For the second consecutive year, he's the youngest player in the league and over the last two months, he's finding it. He's caught up - a lot quicker than everyone else.

You might contend that trading Brandon Phillips hurts the Braves' chances of possibly sneaking into a playoff spot. Of course, as of right now, there's about a 2.4% chance of the Braves making the playoffs, but you Lloyd Christmases out there only read "chance" out of that sentence, didn't you? Let me put it in a way that might rest your fears of missing out on the chance to get to the playoffs if Atlanta trades Phillips - they may not miss a beat. Again, as impressive as Phillips has been, he still ranks 16th in fWAR among 2B this year. While he's been a surprise of sorts, he's not irreplaceable.

Grant McAuley - Follow on Twitter - used with permission

Even if you ignore that Phillips hasn't established a hard-to-duplicate pace and that, at 36, a hot summer in Atlanta might get to him, there is another reason to believe trading Phillips won't hurt. Albies could be just as valuable during the second half of the season as Phillips would be. Let me start by saying Phillips is a slightly below-average defender right now. He once was elite, but over the last three years, time has caught with him. He carries a -0.1 UZR/150, -5 rPM, and -4 DRS into the break. Albies is carrying some negative defensive grades of his own according to Clay Davenport's defensive metrics but routinely has been above-average at both shortstop and second base over his career. Heading into this season, he made MLB.com Pipeline's All-Defensive Team at second base. I am confident he would outproduce Phillips defensively.

Base-running wise could be a bit of a wash. Albies, being young and inexperienced, would likely have a few TOOTBLANs here-and-there, but Phillips runs into some crazy-dumb mistakes as well. As far as base stealing, Albies is easily the bigger threat there. He's swiped 21-of-23 attempts this season while Phillips is 7-for-11. While Albies may struggle as he learns to read new pitchers and deal with the best catchers in the world, he's definitely the better bet to be a weapon on the basepaths than Phillips at this point.

At the plate, Phillips may have the edge, but don't be so sure about that. While you can expect Albies to struggle as he adjusts - at the age of 20 - to major league pitchers and advanced scouting, Phillips' modest offensive numbers could still be reached considering Albies' improving offensive game. Do I think Albies could post a 94 wRC+ in the majors this season as Phillips so far has done? Absolutely.

Let's also not ignore that the Braves will have backup options should Albies prove not to be ready for a full-time gig in the majors. Johan Camargo is currently a man without a position short of stealing playing time from Dansby Swanson. He could move over to second base and help out over there. In addition, the Braves have Sean Rodriguez on his way back. They could also give Micah Johnson some time at second base, a position he has a lot of experience playing. These options are not ideal. I would prefer Ozzie Albies succeeding and sticking in the lineup. However, the Braves have other players they can go to should Albies need to head back down. In addition, you could make a compelling argument that a Camargo/Rodriguez timeshare would be just as good as Phillips.

Further, to circle back to the whole idea of hurting the current squad, allow me to present the 1997 Chicago White Sox. On July 31 of that year, they were 53-53 and three games back in the AL Central. But they saw the writing on the wall. They knew they were not a good team and rather than keep the pieces together for one little run, they traded off pending free agents Wilson Alvarez, Danny Darwin, and Roberto Hernandez in a deal with the Giants. Combined, Alvarez and Darwin started 28 games and Hernandez saved 27 prior to the trade. The White Sox received a package of six players in the deal, including Keith Foulke and Bob Howry - players that would help shape the team's next five years. The trade also opened the door for youngsters like Scott Eyre and Mike Sirotka to get an extended look. After the trade, the White Sox went 27-28. They were effectively the same team before and after the trade.

I started this article with a simple statement. Brandon Phillips should be traded. As I said, it has precious little to do with Phillips and everything to do with Albies. The time is now for another step in the rebuild to be crossed. It's time for the Ozzie Albies era to begin.

Transaction Recap: Rehab Stints Continue and Lots of DSL Player Movement

The Atlanta Braves have hit the All-Star Break, but transactions need no games to be made. This week, we look at continued rehab assignments and a LOT of releases/assignments in regards to the DSL roster as this year's international signings quickly get into some action.

*The moves covered in this edition of Transaction Today follow July 4 to July 10. A number in parenthesis represents the player's ranking in the preseason WOW Top 50.

Atlanta
I previously mentioned Bartolo Colon being DFA'd. His release went official on July 4. Also mentioned the activation of Freddie Freeman on the same day in last week's Recap.

Promoted: Akeel Morris (#30)...With this promotion, the Braves have now used three players who were once acquired for Kelly Johnson. Thanks, KJ! Morris is a talented arm out of the U.S. Virgin Islands who was rolling this season over 26 games between Mississippi and Gwinnett. The walks were a bit high in 29.2 innings with Gwinnett, but the strikeouts were a bit high, too (that's a good thing). Morris combines a solid mid-90's fastball with a plus-changeup. He changes speed, keeps his mechanics in line, and fields his position well. There is a chance here Morris becomes a high-leverage reliever. At worst, he should be able to hold down a bullpen spot and be relatively effective when called upon.

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Optioned and Promoted: Jace Peterson...Up-and-down goes the Jace. He was sent down for Freeman and later brought back after a bacterial infection opened up a roster spot. That sounds more sinister than I may have meant. It has been a terrible season at the plate for Peterson, who lost his second base job after logging over 200 starts there the last two seasons. Expected to be a super utility player, he hasn't been able to hit well enough to stay in the majors. part of that is rotten luck. We aren't surprised that he can't hit lefthanders - he never has - but his woeful production against right-hand pitching has been surprising. It doesn't help that his BABIP against them is .247, but the problem runs much deeper than that. He's striking out nearly a quarter of the time, which doesn't bold well for him considering he hits grounders 63% of the time. Grounders often turn into outs and strikeouts almost always are. Again, we can talk about the bad luck factor with a 10% line-drive rate, but what really surprises me is how often he's pulling the ball. In 2015, Peterson sprayed the ball around and wasn't an extreme groundball guy. This season, he's the opposite. A number of things can explain this - difficult to hit your way out of a slump without consistent at-bats, transitioning away from a nearly everyday starter, bad luck (think I mentioned that), and so on. However, in a results-driven business, nobody cares about these excuses. Peterson is simply waiting for the next player to be activated before likely returning to the minors.

Promoted and Optioned: Matt Wisler...It was the fourth time Wisler has been promoted this season and the second consecutive time he spent just a day in the majors. The results just aren't there for Wisler. He continues to show a superb ability to throw strikes but lacks the stuff to get batters out when he absolutely has to. With his recent placement on prospect lists before 2015 and experience, Wisler might make for a decent throw-in should the Braves entertain trade offers for him. Short of that, a switch to the bullpen might be advisable.

Signed to a minor league contract & assigned to Florida: Junior Rincon...Coming off the best season of his career, Rincon was released at some point by the Brewers. A righty who has had control problems in the past, Rincon originally debuted in the Marlins organization back in 2011. He was awful there and would miss the next season with an injury. He returned but didn't impress enough in 2013 before getting his walking papers. He spent the next two seasons in The Pioneer League for the Brewers. It wasn't until last year that he got out of rookie ball for good and split the season between the Florida State League and Southern League. He gets good K numbers, but the walks are hard to deal with - especially since when batters put the ball in play, they too often reach base.

DL: Danny Santana (bacterial infection in his leg)...Santana seems to get his hits in bunches and then disappear for a few weeks. Overall, he's hitting .230/.287/.402 since his trade from the Twins - marks that, while bad, are an improvement over his time in Minnesota to begin the year. Hopefully, the infection is dealt with soon.

DL: Arodys Vizcaino (right index finger strain)...Vizcaino has not thrown over 50 innings in any season since 2011 but was on his way with 34 already tossed this season before his DL trip. I've been a little surprised by his results this season. He's been inducing fewer ground balls and subsequently being hit harder. Only 30% of the balls put in play last year resulted in a fly ball. This year, it's 43%. The biggest reason is a 20% decrease in groundballs coming from his curveball. This might be due to a lower release point, something that started last year and continues this season. In that regard, he's lost nearly 0.7 inches in vertical movement and a little horizontal movement. All that means is his curveball is just not moving as much. None of that is a result of a finger and Vizcaino's FIP, which is 1.50 runs higher than it was in 2015, could be due to an unusual amount of home runs surrendered. Either way, I really want to see him get the ball down more and find some more movement on his curve. Maybe some mechanical adjustments over the break will help.

Gwinnett
Promoted from Mississippi: A.J. Minter (#19)...Over a dozen games spent at four different levels, Minter has allowed two runs (included the first homer of his career), walked four, and struck out 16 over 12 innings. He has yet to appear in back-to-back games which might be the only hurdle standing in his way from a promotion to the major leagues.

Activated and Optioned: Micah Johnson...Johnson was off to a 5-for-14 start with five steals while playing five games combined with the GCL and Rome squads. He played only in the outfield during his rehab assignment and now will continue with Gwinnett. A bit of a confusing move in that the Braves optioned him well before they needed to and had to put him on the 40-man roster to do so. If he plays 20 days in the minors, he'll exhaust his last option.

Mississippi

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Rehab: Sean Rodriguez...Rodriguez's rehab had already taken him to Gwinnett, but with the team headed into the All-Star Break, S-Rod went to Mississippi to continue his rehab. He hasn't shown much with the bat just yet during six games (2-for-18, 3 walks, a K) while playing second base and shortstop. That might influence the Braves to keep him on a rehab assignment after the All-Star Break concludes, but a couple of good games will likely get Rodriguez activated and promoted to the majors.

Promoted from GCL and DL'd: Guillermo Zuniga...Credit to the Outfield Fly Rule guys for some info related to Zuniga here. Zuniga was part of the monster international class last July and an intriguing one at that. Nevertheless, his placement with the Mississippi Braves after just 13.1 innings in rookie ball - including three innings this year - was met with some confusion. The OFR guys, specifically Chris Jervis, got to the bottom of it. The Mississippi Braves roster had room for Zuniga to go to the DL. Double-A rosters have two more total roster spots than rookie league rosters do. Both have a 25-man roster, but the Mississippi roster includes room for 12 extra players while the GCL roster only has room for ten. The more you know.

Activated: Joey Meneses...After missing two weeks, Meneses returned for the July 4th game in Mobile. The 2017 Southern League All-Star can be a solid hitter at the plate but typically needs prolonged stays at a level to show much offense. That's going to limit him moving forward. In addition, while he does have pop, it's not going to be enough to keep him in the mix as a potential first baseman in reserve should the big league club need him. Still, he helps his minor league teams win and isn't blocking anyone.

DL: Omar Obregon...Recently promoted from Florida, where he was repeating a level, Obregon had a hot stick to begin his Double-A run before hitting the DL. In eight games, he hit .320/.393/.400. A middle infielder out of Nicaragua, Obregon has - at times - flashed a decent hit tool from both sides of the plate. He has no power, though.

DL: Joseph Odom...Four games. That's all Odom got after returning off the DL, which had sidelined him all season. He looked good with a three-hit game shortly before hitting the DL and will hopefully not be out of action as long this time as he was to open the season.

Demoted from Gwinnett: Stephen Gaylor...A non-drafted free agent back in 2014, Gaylor wasn't embarrassing himself in Gwinnett, but the Braves needed his spot and demoted him to make room for Johnson. It came a month after his promotion to Gwinnett. Gaylor can lead off in a pinch, but is more properly utilized as a fourth outfielder who does a lot of the little things, including steal a few bags, for the team.

Demoted from Gwinnett: Emerson Landoni...My Name is Landoni and I just play when asked. Guys like Landoni typically land coaching or other jobs with the organization once they decide to give up on the dream. He's been with the Braves since 2012 and he keeps returning to the organization every time he comes up for free agency. His demotion to Mississippi makes it five consecutive seasons he's played for the Braves' Southern League squad. He won't ever hit for much, but when you need a fill-in player, he'll do it. When you need him to magically appear on the DL because of roster constraints, he'll do that, too.

Florida
DL: Drew Harrington...Am I the only one who has to constantly erase "Joey" and type "Drew?" Probably. Picked with the 80th overall selection last June, Harrington has had an uneven season with Florida after skipping Rome. The control is there and he doesn't give up homers, but he also doesn't miss too many bats in the process. A lefty who was dominant with Louisville in 2016, Harrington is one of the high floor guys with a limited ceiling who the Braves are trying to turn into a major league caliber pitcher. He'll take his lumps, but still could be a bottom-of-the-rotation guy or a decent swingman if he reaches what potential he does have.

Rome
Some rehab stints were continued with Rome for Johnson and Rodriguez, but neither player is still with the team now.

Danville
Assigned: Bruce Zimmerman...Atlanta's fifth-round pick, Zimmerman played for both Towson and Mount Olive College. He displayed tremendous control and struck out a lot of batters last season (albeit against a weaker slate than the CAA-affiliated Towson would have faced). Another lefty - the Braves drafted about six thousand of them in June - Zimmerman started a pair of games for the D-Braves last week and struck out six in three innings. He also allowed a run.

GCL
Assigned: Tanner Allison...A 19th round pick out of Western Michigan, Allison signed a few weeks ago. Assigned on the fourth, he's yet to appear for the GCL squad. The lefty was a Third-Team All-American this year while spending less time on the mound than he did his first two years on campus. Despite the .356/.432/.576 split in the MAC as the Broncos star outfielder, the Braves like him better as a pitcher. His numbers...were miserable as a pitcher, though he did strikeout a lot of batters. Trouble is he walked one more batter than he K'd during his career.

Demoted from Danville: Jose Bermudez...He spent just over a week in Danville and never got into a game. A switch-hitting outfielder who the Braves signed all the way back in July of 2015, Bermudez was listed as a pitcher in a recent transaction, but that might have been MILB.com confusing him with a player in the Twins' organization with the same name. Since his return to the GCL, he's appeared twice - both in the outfield. Darn it. That was an interesting move in last week's update.

DSL
Assigned: Eudi Asencio...Okay, there were a lot of moves with the Dominican Summer League squad last week and pretty much all of them are associated with the July 2nd signings. While the Braves were limited in terms of how large of a bonus they could throw out, they weren't limited in the number of players they could acquire. This seems like a lot of players to immediately get into action - and it is. Most J2 guys spend a year training and scrimmaging with the Braves rather than immediately get an assignment with the DSL squad, but Atlanta and their development team are aggressive and felt many of these players needed to get an immediate look. If I find much information related to these guys, I'll mention it. There isn't much, though. In regards to Asencio, he's a Dominican 18-year-old righthander who might have some room to grow into his 6'3" frame. He tossed two scoreless innings in his professional debut while hitting a batter, walking a batter, striking out a batter, and also allowing a hit.

Assigned: Kimberling Encarnacion...A 17-year-old catcher out of the Dominican, Encarnacion will battle Wiston Cerrato and Enmanuel Guitian for playing time behind the plate.

Assigned: Edwin Jimenez...The Braves must like this lefty. Just 16 (he turns 17 in eleven days), Jimenez was quickly assigned to the DSL roster and threw a perfect inning over the weekend with a strikeout. He's 6'1" and 170 pounds out of the Dominican.

Assigned: Eric Jimenez...Undersized, but already 20 years old, the Braves need to see what they have in Jimenez while they can. In his first two games, Jimenez has three hits, a walk, and two steals in 8 PA.

Assigned: Oscar Nunez...One of the few guys whose bonus we do know, Nunez got a $185K sum to join the Braves. I pulled a picture of what he may look like. Of all of the players the Braves signed this July, Nunez is the guy I want badly to succeed. First, Ryan Howard and now the guy who played Oscar on The Office? Un-be-lievable.

Assigned: Henry Quintero...A Cuban-born outfielder, Quintero needs to progress quickly because he's very old for the DSL at 23. He's off to a 4-for-8 start with three doubles and a triple. If there are no VISA problems, Quintero could be a guy we see in the GCL before the end of the season just to get him moving. He played briefly in the Cuban National Series in the '13-'14 and '14-'15 seasons, hitting .223/.274/.325 over 181 PA.

Assigned: Joel Reyes...An outfielder out of the DR, Reyes has good measurements at 6'0" and 200 pounds at the age of 17.

Assigned: Estarlin Rodriguez...A Dominican right-hander, Rodriguez is another Age-17 guy who has already played for DSL since signing. In his first outing, he gave up an unearned run with a walk and strikeout over one frame.

Assigned: Gerardo Santana...17 years old and an outfielder, Santana has a big frame and could potentially flash some power.

Released: Andres Adrianza...All of these new additions to the DSL roster required a number of cuts. Adrianza was one of two players who signed as part of last year's J2 class. The first baseman/sometimes catcher was quickly assigned to the DSL roster last year and hit .219/.300/.271 as a 17-year-old. He remained a regular player in the lineup this year but looked a bit worse than he did in 2016 and will be moving on.

Released: Carlos Centeno...A defense-first catcher, Centeno was a regular fixture in the lineup last season for the DSL squad after playing in 14 games with them in 2015. He only hit .225 with 6 extra-base knocks, though. He was off to a .152 start this season with a higher OBP than SLG. That's pretty impressive (?) considering his OBP was a miserable .200. As he was part of the three-men platoon behind the plate, his release could help Encarnacion get into the lineup.

Released: Franger Carrillo...He got nearly a year in the system before getting kicked to the curb. The Venezuelan hit .178 over 45 professional at-bats - most of which came this year. He was hitting notably better this year, but that's easy to do when you go 0-for-14 in your first taste of organized ball.

Released: Emmanuel Isea...Signed at the tail end of the 2015-16 signing period, Isea hit just .205/.271/.244 over 24 games nearly split between this year and last. The outfielder didn't flash much speed either.

Released: Danyer Salazar...Salazar's fate was likely sealed when he didn't come state-side for the 2017 GCL season. Last year, his second season in the DSL, he improved his OPS by about 120 points to .731, but that wasn't enough for a corner infielder who turned 19 back in February. He was off to a 3-for-21 start before being cut.