The Atlanta Braves made a completely unexpected roster move to reinforce an active roster that looks more like a M.A.S.H. unit right now.
The Atlanta Braves began their Friday by putting Drew Smyly on the 10-day IL with the ubiquitous omen of future elbow issues: the forearm strain.
Kyle Wright filled in, and the Braves beat the worst offense in baseball but lost Ender Inciarte with a hamstring injury in the fourth inning.
The club lost Ozzie Albies in the ninth when Justin Steel hit him in the right calf.
#Braves' Ozzie Albies' calf is very sore today from being hit by pitch Thursday just below knee, Snitker said. But #Braves believe or hope he'll be back soon or they would've put him on the 10-day IL.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 17, 2021
This morning the Braves put Inciarte and Sean Newcomb on the 10-day IL, listed Ozzie as day-to-day, and recalled pitchers Bryse Wilson and Jesse Biddle.
The Braves gave no reason for adding Newcomb to the IL, but speculation suggests it’s a COVID-related move. If that’s the case, no 40-man move is needed.
With both of their best centerfield options on the IL, and everyone expected that they’d fill the empty 40-man roster spot with an outfielder; Everyone was wrong.
Around 10 a.m. this morning, Jeff Passan reported (Twitter link) that the Atlanta Braves had selected the contract of Sean Kazmar Jr.
Kazmar’s previous Major League experience consists of 19 games, 46 PA, and a .205/.289/.231/.520 line with the Padres in 2008. He joined the Braves system with Gwinnett in 2012 and slipped into the role of mentor the young players who pass through on their way to stardom, or at least a shot at it, in Atlanta. Passan equated him to Crash Davis, and the description fits perfectly.
A middle infielder by trade, Kazmar helped a long list of infielders get their short in Atlanta; today, Kazmar gets his. Those who followed Spring Training this year, know Kazmar had a memorable spring, as Alan wrote at that time.
". . . 2021 edition of Atlanta Braves Spring Training . . could be his last shot.In 8 AB, Kazmar is leading the entire team in OPS (2.200), slugging (1.500), and homers (2) while also in the top 3 in average (.625) and OBP (.700). Oh, and he’s walked twice to boot."
He finished the spring hitting .409 with three homers and a 1.415 OPS.
Why choose an infielder?
The Atlanta Braves don’t have another outfielder on the taxi squad, and adding one from the alternate site means flying the player on a commercial flight and following the COVID protocols that would keep him off the team for days.
The hassle would still leave them a man short on the active roster; this move mitigates that delay. If the team needs an outfielder when they return to Atlanta, he can join the team without delay; and manager Brian Snitker knows what Kazmar can do for the players around him (Twitter link),
Snit on Sean Kazmar Jr: "its amazing. I said it's a book or a movie waiting to happen. You go from 08 to 2021 in between, you've got to be kidding me. He's getting better as a player. He was probably the MVP of Spring Training for the third year in a row" #Braves
— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) April 17, 2021
Kazmar gives the Atlanta Braves another super-utility player, willing to play anywhere and leave it all on the field without complaint.
Based on his spring and approach, It’s also likely he’ll hit as well or better than Johan Camargo is right now.
Atlanta Braves Pitching maneuvers
The Atlanta Braves now have Smyly, Chris Martin, Max Fried, Mike Soroka, and Newcomb on the IL. The recall of Wilson was expected as he’s set to start in Fried’s spot on Sunday. The addition of Jesse Biddle is as unexpected as Kazmar’s recall.
The Reds released Biddle on March 26, and the Braves signed him to a minor-league deal on April 2. I’ve never seen a list of the taxi-squad, but having Biddle and Kazmar on it seems designed to let players they expect to use later get reps at the alternate site; taxi-squad members only get a light workout before a game.
Sean Kazmar Trivia
Kazmar isn’t in today’s starting lineup, but he will set a few records when he takes the field. The Elias Sports bureau told MLB’s Andrew Simon (Twitter link) that should Kazmar play today, his 12-year 206-day gap between Major League games would ranks as the longest since 1950, “longer than Minnie Minoso and Satchel Paige.”
While Minoso and Paige were out of the game between appearances — and Minoso’s was largely a publicity stunt — Kazmar kept playing.
The country’s seen three Presidents serve a total of four terms since Kazmar replaced Adrian Gonzalez in the Padres lineup in his last Major League game on September 23, 2008.
That’s a wrap
I’m sorry the move was forced on the Atlanta Braves but elated for Scott Kazmar. Teammates and the organization love the guy. I hope he gets a bunch of hits and enjoys his time with the club.
I wouldn’t expect to see Biddle in anything but a mop-up role.
Teams are starting to see a lot of COVID-related moves. The Astros lost four players off of their starting lineup today, after playing in Seattle last night, and three members of the Phillies coaching staff are quarantined as well. I hope Newcomb isn’t the start of a series of Atlanta Braves joining that list.