Over the last month, if Mauricio Dubón isn't starting at shortstop for the Atlanta Braves, the position has been an utter blackhole at the plate. Both Ha-Seong Kim and Jorge Mateo had disastrous months of June, and after Mateo went 0-3 on Wednesday, it appears the club has opted for a change.
Jim Jarvis, a shortstop who got his first cup of coffee in May, was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett, while first baseman Rowdy Tellez was designated for assignment.
The #Braves today recalled INF Jim Jarvis to Atlanta and designated INF Rowdy Tellez for assignment.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 2, 2026
Braves give shortstop prospect Jim Jarvis another chance, DFA Rowdy Tellez
When Jarvis was called up in May, the Braves needed an extra infielder, as Mateo was day-to-day with a thumb injury. The 25-year-old who was acquired from the Tigers in last year's trade deadline, had slashed .305/.418/.445, so he didn't get the promotion based off of of his position alone.
However, after just two games, the Braves optioned him back to the minor leagues once Mateo was fully healed. To Jarvis's credit, he hasn't stopped hitting. In fact, his season OPS of .866 is a tick higher now than it was when he first got called up.
While the Braves made the interesting move to keep Kim on the roster, opting to cut Tellez instead, there's no doubt Walt Weiss will give Jarvis opportunities to start in the coming weeks over both Kim and Mateo, with Mark Bowman of MLB already reporting the 25-year-old will get the start against the Cardinals on Thursday.
Jarvis doesn't project well as a big league hitter by most projection systems, but the infielder has made huge strides over the last year. Considering the Tigers traded him for Rafael Montero, it's safe to say he has no problem exceeding expectations.
Tellez had two hits in his brief Braves tenure, with one homer. However, with Matt Olson occupying first base, and Dominic Smith at designated hitter, there weren't a lot of opportunities for the nine-year MLB vet to get plate appearances. Despite being on the active roster for over 20 days, he only made one start and got 11 plate appearances.
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