Braves Option 3: Ender Inciarte
It ended up being a blessing in disguise that the Braves did not move on from Ender Inciarte in the offseason.
He has never been a great hitter, but he has created a nice career based on his above average defense which would have paired well as a late inning defensive replacement for Ozuna.
Starting with his season stats at the plate, Inciarte is hitting .235/.286/.314 one home run, seven runs, six RBIs, one stolen base, .266 wOBA, and a 66 wRC+.
As mentioned, he is not known for his bat. It is not his calling card.
Breaking it down by month:
- April: .294/.368/.353 three runs, zero RBIs
- May: .176/.222/.176 two runs, three RBIs, one stolen base
- June: .235/.263/.412 one home run, two runs, three RBIs
He was serviceable at the plate in April before an injury sidelined him for a month. Since returning, he has not really provided a ton of value.
Moving onto base running, Inciarte is providing a negative value on the bases. He currently has a -0.2 UBR. He has historically been a positive value on the bases, so there is hope he can turn it around with more game action.
Defensively, Inciarte has been solid. In 116.1 innings in center field, he currently has a 2 DRS. Nothing spectacular, but he is providing defensive value which makes it easier to keep his bat in the lineup.
Overall, Baseball Reference has Inciarte as a 0 WAR player and FanGraphs has him at 0.1 fWAR.
At this point in his career, he is probably best served as a fourth outfielder on a good team who can come in as a defensive replacement late in games. The Braves will need to rely on him somewhat regularly over the next few weeks, however.