Just two days after Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker made the questionable decision to pinch-hit 2021 playoff hero Eddie Rosario for Eli White, the Braves front office has decided to make sure that doesn't happen again (at least for the time being).
On Friday, the Braves designated Rosario for assignment and brought up utility player Luke Williams, who has spent parts of the previous two seasons on the club's MLB roster.
Why the Braves moved on from Eddie Rosario (again) with roster move
When the Braves re-signed Rosario a few weeks ago, the idea was to let Jarred Kelenic get consistant at-bats while still having a lefty off the bench. However, Rosario only appeared in three games in his third stint with Atlanta, going 0-4. Over the last three seasons, however, Rosario's been the eighth-worst hitter according to wRC+ among hitters with at least 800 plate appearances.
He pinch-ran in his most recent appearance, scoring the tying run in the Braves come-from-behind victory against the Reds. This appearance, however, might have inspired Alex Anthopoulos and the front office to add Luke Williams instead.
Williams hasn't had an especially inspiring time with the Gwinnett Stripers, slashing just .132/.205/ .145 (.350 OPS) in 83 plate appearances, but the super-utility player has a few strengths over Rosario.
In addition to playing both the infield and outfield, Williams is much quicker than the 2021 NLCS MVP. Last season, Rosario averaged a 27.3 ft/sec sprint speed, which was slightly below average, according to Baseball Savant.
Williams, on the other hand, was over a foot per second quicker, clocking in at 28.6 ft/sec and ranking in the 83rd percentile.
While Stuart Fairchild is currently the de facto pinch runner, having pinch ran in four of his 13 games with the Braves, it seems as though the front office is looking to give the roster the additional pinch-running option with Williams in case a game plays out like it did Thursday against the Reds.
It might also just be a way to make sure Brian Snitker doesn't try to pinch-hit one of the worst hitters in baseball over the last few seasons for one of the team's hottest hitters again.