Anyone who has watched the Atlanta Braves this year knows that their outfield is a bit of a mess at the moment. Jurickson Profar getting suspended was absolutely brutal, Michael Harris II is off to a slow start, and the duo of Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz has been extremely underwhelming. For that reason, fans were understandably excited when there were whispers that Alex Verdugo was going to get a shot this week.
The Braves signing Verdugo late in the offseason to a minor league deal is looking pretty fortuitous at the moment. Ronald Acuna Jr. is coming back in a month or so and Harris is going to have a really long leash, but that third outfield spot looks incredibly problematic right now and Verdugo has at least been good in the big leagues relatively recently.
However, despite really needing some help on offense in the outfield, the days have gone by and the Braves haven't called Verdugo up from the minors yet. Not even Marcell Ozuna's hip injury that knocked him out of Fortunately, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for that.
The Braves need help from Alex Verdugo, but waiting to call him up is still correct
It is easy to see a recognizable name down in the minor leagues and to just shout "call him up now!" at anyone that will listen. Again, Atlanta's outfield has not been good and fans are understandably frustrated. However, there is a method to the Braves' madness here.
First, Verdugo did not have a regular spring training and needs reps to get up to speed. Fans may just want a guy to be instantly ready to go especially if they have big league experience, but the reality is that every player needs time to get their timing down and get used to the pace of the game. Verdugo is only slashing .207/.303/.448 in Triple-A right now, so it isn't like he is forcing the issue all that much.
When you combine the need for reps with the Braves being on the road in Toronto and you have a pretty strong case for waiting a little bit. By waiting for the upcoming homestand, you don't potentially throw Verdugo off with a a bunch of travel and give him some more time to get in game shape in the minors. Now if the Braves don't call Verdugo up at all this week and continue to roll the dice with their current outfield alignment, fans should definitely have some questions.