Atlanta Braves promoting their top prospect; Nick Markakis out

Cristian Pache is coming to the majors, though under less-than-ideal circumstances.

The Atlanta Braves are bringing their organization’s best outfield defender, Cristian Pache, to the majors… as quickly as possible, and for reasons they’d rather not have seen.

Multiple team and beat-writer sources indicate that Nick Markakis has been placed on the COVID-19 IL due to possible exposure to the virus.

The same sources note that he has not yet tested positive, but as we’ve seen with other clubs, the risk of one player contaminating an entire clubhouse is high enough that this is the right, proper, and indeed only possible course of action for him.

Somewhat ironically, it was Markakis who originally opted out of the 2020 season for reasons that certainly included the possibility of catching this insidious virus.

Meanwhile, Pache now enters the mix out of necessity for the Atlanta Braves with them missing both Markakis and Ronald Acuna Jr. from their roster.

He brings what’s probably the best outfield glove Braves fans have seen since the days of Andruw Jones.  His bat, while still a work in progress, might at least be the equal of Ender Inciarte‘s, so it is likely that we may see him — as a right-handed hitter — inserted into the lineup against lefty pitchers to spell Inciarte.

The decision to bring him up, was certainly a tough one, never mind being made at the last minute today:

Broadcast reports indicate that Pache has arrived at Truist Park.  We’ll see later whether manager Brian Snitker opts to insert him at some point tonight, but he is at least available to the Braves.

Pache was already on the 40-man roster, so no “corresponding move” needed to be made today.  Accordingly, Nick Markakis’ move to the COVID-IL allows Atlanta to put Pache onto the active roster.

Congratulations to Cristian Pache… it will be good to see him roaming the outfield grass soon!