The Braves announced that outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. He was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. First baseman Rowdy Tellez has been selected to take his place on the active list. The right hand Jhancarlos Lara he was selected for assignment to open a 40-man spot for Tellez.
It’s the second time this year that Acuña’s left hamstring has sent him to IL. He spent a little over two weeks there from early- to mid-May. It’s been a few weeks since he’s been back but the injury flared up again and sent him to IL again.
In regards to injuries, Acuña has been hitting well but not at his personal level, currently sporting a .251/.373/.421 line. That translates to a 125 wRC+, indicating that Acuña has been 25% better than league average on the year, but he has a career wRC+ of 142 and was 161 last year.
It doesn’t look like the injury is serious but Atlanta can be cautious. They have the best record in baseball at 45-22. They have a nine-game lead over the Phillies in the National League East. Given their strong short-term position, they should think long-term and make sure Acuña is healthy in October.
They will still have it Mike Yastrzemski again Michael Harris II in two places. I have Acuña on the shelf, Mauricio Dubón again Eli White you will probably join for more outside work. If Dubón spends more time on the grass, that could open up a shorter playing time Jorge Mateo or Ha-Seong Kim.
Tellez, 31, will likely serve as a bench bat. He has only been a first baseman throughout his career and will not help in the outfield. Matt Olson he is the team’s number one player and hasn’t taken a day off in years. Dominic Smith is common in the selected calling area. He has a strong .292/.331/.458 line and a 118 wRC+ on the year.
Dubón, White, Mateo and Kim are all right-handed hitters and Tellez is left-handed, so he’ll probably be asked to drive those guys to some key spots against strong righty arms. Tellez hasn’t had the strongest walk rate against righties in his career but has done a lot of damage with the team’s gains, resulting in a .236/.299/.452 career line against righties. He signed a minor league deal with Atlanta in the offseason and has been hitting well in Triple-A this year, with a .259/.367/.483 line, including a 308/.406/.608 slash against righties.
Lara, 23, was added to Atlanta’s roster in September of last year but did not play in a game. He was selected a few days later and has been volunteering throughout the season. He has upside, with his fastballs reaching the high 90s, but brutal control. He walked 17.5% of the batters he faced in his minor league career, which is twice the average rate. That includes a terrible 33.3% walk rate in 15 Double-A appearances this year, which has helped him produce an 8.22 earned run average.
Now he’s headed for DFA limbo, which could last a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so Atlanta can take up to five days to evaluate trade interest. If Lara gains interest, it would be a project, as the results are not yet available. But since he has natural talents and still has options, maybe some club with roster spots will want to keep him. If he is passed over for unclaimed money, he will be stuck in Atlanta’s system without using up a roster spot.
Photo courtesy of Christopher Hanewinckel, Imagn Images
