1:38pm: The Braves have now announced that Bautista’s contract has been select. Outfielder Preston Tucker was optioned to Triple-A to open a spot on the active roster for Bautista.
After a blistering start to the season, Tucker’s bat has unsurprisingly come back down to Earth in recent weeks. He’s posted a .218/.246/.364 slash over his past 57 plate appearances with the Braves.
9:32am: David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets that the Braves are adding Bautista to the MLB roster today.
9:24am: The Braves are expected to add Jose Bautista to their lineup tonight, reports Mark Bowman of MLB.com (via Twitter). Atlanta will need to formally select the contract of Bautista, who signed a minor league deal with the Braves last month. Atlanta announced in April that the longtime Blue Jays star will play third base in their organization. The Braves currently have three openings on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to make a corresponding 25-man roster move to add Bautista.
Bautista, of course, was primarily a third baseman before breaking out with the Jays and settling in as their right fielder for the better part of a decade. He’s played just 38 innings at the position in the four years prior to signing with Atlanta, however, all of which came last year in Toronto. Bautista hasn’t seen even semi-regular action at the hot corner since 2011, and even then he logged just 205 innings at the position in that entire season.
The 37-year-old slugger has gotten off to a solid start with Atlanta’s top affiliate, hitting .250/.386/.361 with a homer, a double and six walks against eight strikeouts through 44 plate appearances. As Bowman notes, the home run and double came within the past few days, as Bautista’s bat has begun to heat up a bit as he’s shaken off some of the rust after sitting out Spring Training entirely.
Bautista will be looking to rebound from a dreary 2017 season in which he hit just .203/.308/.366. While Bautista still slugged 23 homers and walked at an above-average 12.2 percent clip, his strikeout rate jumped to a career-worst 24.8 percent as his contact rate plummeted from 80.2 percent to 73.3 percent. The biggest flaw for Bautista was a sudden inability to hit fastballs; a career .246/.374/.519 hitter against four-seamers, Bautista flailed ineffectively at four-seam fastballs in 2017, hitting just .198/.294/.365 against them.
good to see him back man !!!
I do wish him well, but that Braves lineup is killing it right now. I’d lean towards “don’t fix what’s not broke.”
I’m not in the anti-Jose camp by any means, and he always seems to be liked by his teammates, but right now they have a bunch of youngsters hitting well. If an ancient Bautista starts eating up playing time without hitting right away I could see some resentment building. But hey, if he hits like even 2015-2016 Jose, nobody will care a bit.
Culberson is in no way a part of the hot streak the Braves are in. Replacing him with Bautista is a nice move and hopefully it pays off!
Culberson isn’t the starter bud
I’m mostly with you here, but 3B has been about the weakest link lately. It’s gonna be interesting to see! The Braves right now remind me of the 2016 Cubs – about a year or so ahead of when myself and many others thought they’d begin to reap the benefits of that fantastic farm system they’ve built.
It’s been a month, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. They could just as easily be the 2017 Twins, sneaking into the playoffs only to fall back to normal next year. Or the 2012 Pirates who got off to a tremendous start only to come back to Earth and finish the season under .500. If they are still in first place in August, then you might have something going, but for now anything can still happen.
I know full well that Flaherty isn’t going to sustain his start, but the Braves lead the NL in batting average from their 3B position and are 5th in OPS from 3rd base. (at least, per the ESPN article on his callup)
The 2016 Cubs weren’t a surprise. They won 97 games in 2015.
Not to mention all the back to the future talk we endured that year because the cubs were suddenly a real team.
I get that Freeman is being walked a fair amount but Markakis is tearing it up atm, and I’m reading that their lineup is chalking up run after run. Not sure why they’d mess with it right now.
So I’m stupid… I just read that Swanson is sitting and Carmargo is playing SS. So, 3b needs competition for now, so why not bring him up and play him.
Swanson had a minor injury is the main reason he has been sitting the last couple of days. He should be recovered fully soon enough.
Going to be interesting to watch mainly him playing third not so much his bat I have no worries that his bat is going to be solid enough. Hoping he can put it all together and do solid I want to see some explosive bat tosses this year on those MLB Network highlights haha.
Bats, while never really good defensively, never embarrassed himself either. Flexibility is huge these days, and you can plug him into either IF or OF corner and not suffer too much. Don’t laugh, this could be a HUGE pickup.
JB could excel as a bench player who fills in at 3B and RF. But they would really need to be conservative about it; I’m taking max 4 times a week.
I still maintain Bautista would have had a much better year playing less and DH’ing more last year. Obviously he can’t do that in Atlanta, but think about the 2017 Blue Jays; Morales and Pearce had to DH, meaning Jose had to play RF nearly every single day. He played a lot. Perhaps he can play well in spurts for the Braves.
Will this be the equivalent of Kelly Leake signing with the Bad News Bears?
I don’t get this move at all
Why is there so much hate for this move. If his defense is average…
>350 OBP, with minimum 20HR. 1/2 tons of speed/avg. 3/4 tons of power. 5/6/7 balanced and capable hitters. 200 hits out of 9 hole. PLUS if he stinks we are not locked into his roster spot. Where is the problem. If we we’re at the trading deadline this is a move that we would want as to not spend prospects. It’s such a prudent move. I love it and am excited to continue this upward trend! Go Braves!!
someone knows how to use copy and paste!
As an Orioles fan, I hate Bautista with every fiber of my being. That being said, I’ve also seen Flaherty for the last four years and what he’s doing now is unsustainable.
Unless someone is injured or he’s a strictly bench player, I see no reason for this move honestly. Just doesn’t make sense to me. That line up is killing it at the moment.
(1) Charlie Culberson is a bench player and providing little value.
(2) The two third basemen splitting time are really utility players.
(3) Bautista, at worst, provides more thunder off the bench than Culberson does.
(4) Starting him at 3B allows Carmago and Flaherty to assume utility roles and come in as late-game subs at 3B.
All great points and very valid!
are you the Dragon’s lady of Game of Thrones?
add that Swanson is hurt, so Camargo is gonna start at SS
Well u guys arguing to me that he has value on the bench and value with an injured player simply didn’t read my statement. Lol. Also, carmargo is killing it. This notion that he’s strictly a part time player has been unproven by his play since being called up in the majors
But who’s killing it at 3rd? No one. Put your prejudice aside and see if he has anything left in the tank.
Actually both Camargo and Flaherty have been hitting quite well, although it isn’t likely that Flaherty’s work is sustainable. Both are good defensively as well.
Bautista doesn’t worry me too much with the bat. I think he’ll recover some from last year’s dismal results. However the thing I’m afraid of is Bautista’s glovework. I’m afraid that he will give up more runs than he produces.
He will stand no chance against the force that is Chris Stratton tonight.
Lmao
Peanut shells for everyone
The Braves must be short on hot dog vendors.
He’ll be 0-4 with some fielding errors by the time the Giants are done with him tonight.
0-3, Jose will walk at least once.
May as well see how it goes now so if it fails there will be time to snatch somebody up by the deadline. I hope Beltre wants a final pennant run and AA is able to snatch him up before the deadline. Rangers look like they will be out of it by Memorial Day if not sooner & the Braves got some young arms I am sure Texas would have some interest in.
Ian Anderson for Beltre
I wonder if this means that Swanson is hurt more than reported.
It might mean that. He has also been pretty bad since his ridiculously hot first 8 games or so.
He was really good for 20 games and then drastically cooled off the last 8, which makes me think that he was bothered by that wrist long before he was pulled out of Wednesday’s game.
I’d argue he was really good for 8 games and then drastically cooled off the last 20…
First 8 games: .382/.400/.618
Last 20 games: .250/.310/.350
Why is there so much hate for this move. If his defense is average…
>350 OBP, with minimum 20HR. 1/2 tons of speed/avg. 3/4 tons of power. 5/6/7 balanced and capable hitters. 200 hits out of 9 hole. PLUS if he stinks we are not locked into his roster spot. Where is the problem. If we we’re at the trading deadline this is a move that we would want as to not spend prospects. It’s such a prudent move. I love it and am excited to continue this upward trend! Go Braves!!
“.250/.386/.361 with a homer, a double and six walks against eight strikeouts through 44 plate appearances”
That’s a solid start for a 37 year old ex-MVP candidate in AAA?
Yes. It is. Don’t expect him to do better in the Majors. Maybe a higher slugging. But we’ll be lucky if he has a .386 OBP
Seems pretty mediocre at best to me. I guess I just have high standards then.
It’s his spring training, man. Let him kick off the rust. He is 6 for last 15 and I think 15 years of mlb data trumps 50 ab in the minors. There is no downside. He can be removed, completely, if he stinks. Camargo and RF are better suited as backups. This move, if made at the all Star break, would get huge applause. We didn’t spend that much money and zero prospects. This is a win. Now hope for 350 OBP 20 HR and passable defense and we have a top 5 lineup in the game.
That’s not really the point at all. In no way am I saying he’s done or completely worthless. Heck, I hope he does play well. The Braves are fun to watch as is, and if they can add another .800+ OPS guy to the lineup, that’d be huge. All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t consider those “solid numbers” for a player of his caliber in AAA.
Stop worrying about his “spring training” in MiLB and sit back and see how he does. Maybe some of his outs down there were loud. Geez. Are you the one who complains when a team has too much talent?
Yup. Busted. A 37 year old Jose Bautista just puts the Braves right over the top. Way too much talent over there. I’m upset.
Again, not worried in the slightest about his numbers – just saying I wouldn’t call them “solid.” Reading comprehension is not one of your strong suits, is it?
If he batted .000 and had no homers. I still wouldn’t be worried. It’s his spring training and most players are all over the map. Some crush the spring and some are working on things and do poorly. This doesn’t matter. AA know him. The scouts have seen him and he’s getting the call. We can wonder all we want, but people waaaay more in the know think he is ready and can help. Let’s allow him to prove it. If not, it’s an easy fix.
Again, that has absolutely nothing to do with what I said…
All I said is those are not “solid numbers” for someone like Bautista in AAA – heck, those numbers are mediocre at best for ANYONE in AAA, not just someone of his caliber.
That has absolutely NOTHING to do with how I, or anyone else, thinks he will perform going forward.
Definitely downvoting this…all day.
I guess I don’t follow why you care what his warm up stats are…so if Yu don’t think he’s done why make the statement on the numbers at all because you eventually stated the numbers don’t matter if you think he isn’t done…just didn’t make logical sense/progressive sense.
Dont argue with Johnny General Manager.
I don’t care what his warm up stats are. I don’t care what his spring training stats are. I don’t care whatever you want to call them stats are. That’s not the point.
The point is that the stat line he put up was not “solid,” in my opinion – aka I disagree with what the author stated. It’s more of a criticism on the wording used by the author (or his low performance standards if he actually considers that solid) than it is on Bautista himself, which clearly gets overlooked by Braves fans thinking I’m taking a shot against “one of theirs.”
The slugging is not good but a .250/.386 double slash is very solid, IMO, especially given that he had no spring training. Baseball is a fickle game and also, that’s who Bautista is at this stage of his career.
I guess .250 is solid AAA numbers when you hit .203 in the MLB
Good to see JoeyBats back in the big leagues. I wish it could have been Toronto that he goes out with.
He still will pick it up okay at third and will be very slow running routes in the outfield. Strictly bench guy and not a regular. Too bad they won’t let him pitch, he still has a cannon for an arm. #90MPH heater.
I think he might spike with initial good performance for a few weeks but once the pitchers figure out his eyesight and batspeed off the heater has slowed, he’ll be toast. Unfortunately, he is a guess hitter at this point in his career. #Scoutseyes
Not a fan. I also worry that AA will bring in more of his former over-the-hill players.
” solid start ” ..okay, I imagine he will hit a few homers but…?
I think flaherty is doing fine. We could also bring up Riley. He’d likely be much better defensively and at least as good offensively as JB.
Braves don’t need a DH until May 22nd-25th series. I hope Joey Bats will be okay with only starting 3-4 times per week until then. Snitker will likely play Flaherty given the hot bat until he cools off.
Baltimore will probably be willing to trade Machado sooner than the deadline given their struggles and their mess of a starting staff. They’ll be seeking multiple ML ready arms due to their lack of organizational depth in that department. If the Braves want to make a serious play for Machado, what should they offer?
We don’t need Machado. We have Bautista.
Machado will be overpriced for a half year and may not be worth it in the long run.
What should they offer? Money. In about 6 months.
Easy K.
Why why why is tucker going down instead of Culberson… flaherty is the only backup OF now, unless Bautista is gonna get some time out there
This was done onLy because of Swanson’s injury. As soon as he is back Tucker will be up. Culbertson also has no options so they are just buying time at this point
I believe that once you are sent down there is a minimum number of days that must expire before you can be recalled UNLESS someone goes on the DL.
Tucker has actually been warming back up over the last few games. He had a great at bat his last plate appearance. In my opinion he is by far the best pinch hit threat of late and I hate to see him go back to the minors for any reason, even if it will only be briefly.
Culberson was the weak link, not Tucker. Hopefully Swanson will heal up quickly and return soon.
Agreed. I sort of understand if Culberson is out of options but it seems pretty clear that he’s not in the long term future plans so that shouldn’t really even matter
Hit him 7th, and hope he doesn’t turn into Roger Dorn at 3rd.
Such polarized responses. Both sides have a point. Pro-Bautista commenters are right that this is essentially a risk-free move that could reap benefits if he rebounds. Anti-Bautista commenters are absolutely right that he was one of the worst major league regulars in baseball last year (-1.7 war) and probably has no business switching back to the hot corner at his age. Who knows what’ll happen.
Off the fence please.
Absolutism isn’t the best move when there isn’t a clear angle.
Well, indecisiveness isnt quite an admirable leadership quality, now is it?
I really don’t understand this digression. I was merely laying out the dilemma at hand. I’m not making decisions on anything, so I don’t see how my words could be construed as “indecisive.” I’m a commenter on a baseball site. Nothing more. What’s your goal here? “Leadership?” Who am I leading?
TO MAKE YOU FEEL BAD
Here, let me explain. When you are taking an order at McDonalds, dont you get irritated when the customer is indecisive? Pick an side (pun intended…you get it) and move on.
Ha, this is simply a piss poor attempt at trolling. You need help, friend. Explore your counciling opportunities. Sad!
If you are being serious, I would, uh, seek other forms of help.
Denial. Classic co-conspirator to indecisiveness. But you have a wonderful gray day.
Bahaha what?! What an absolutely bizarre exchange.
I can’t decide who to support in this argument
The thing about risk free movies is they have no risk. So there is no reason not to make them.
Tucker will be back after the Baustista experiment fails. Have more confidence with Tucker, hope I’m wrong.
The Braves are playing really good baseball right now.. Good mesh of older core and younger core….Wish I could say as much for my team (Pads).
Feel for Tucker, if he could play a season as a regular for some team he would put up decent numbers.
Preston Tucker is still playing nearly everyday.