Atlanta Braves Continue to Shuffle The Deck
By Fred Owens
Kubitza Returns
The Braves drafted Kubitza in the third round of the 2011 draft and he was almost immediately inserted into the a very thin Braves prospect list at #17. He remained a top thirty prospect through 2012 and 2013 moving to the #10 slot after 2014.
On January 8, 2015 the Braves sent him to the Angels for Nate Hyatt and Ricardo Sanchez leaving them without a third base prospect close to ready. They remedied that by obtaining Rio Ruiz from Houston along with Andrew Thurman and Mike Foltynewicz in the Evan Gattis trade.
His last season with the Braves was in AA where he posted a .295/.405/.470/.875 line and he continued to hit at AAA Salt Lake City in 2015 posting a .271/357/.433/.791 line in 526 PA.
The Angels gave him his major league debit that year but the bat that looked good in the minors failed to show up in Anaheim where he appeared in 12 games before being sent back to the minors. He made two more trips to the majors and ended up posting a 194/.256/.194 line in 19 games.
The Rangers claimed him when the Angels Designated him for assignment him in June this year and he appeared in 43 games for AAA Round Rock but he continued to struggle at the plate posting a .187/.297/.348/.645 line in 183 PA. Earlier this week the Rangers designated him for assignment and today the Braves brought him back,
That’s a Wrap
While the news of Banuelos was a surprise it wasn’t a shock. His recurring elbow issues affected him velocity and location making him extremely hittable and the Braves needed the roster spot for Kubitza.
Bringing the their former third base prospect isn’t a surprise either, the Braves have been known to do that before. With Ruiz continuing to struggle at the plate Braves obviously hope to find out where he left his bat.
If they can figure out what happened to Kyle at the plate he could slip ahead of Ruiz. In any case his arrival puts Ruiz on notice and adds to the Braves minor league infield depth.