Braves: William Contreras optioned to AAA, Jonathan Lucroy recalled

After some poor at-bats in 2021, William Contreras is going to spend some time in AAA for the first time in his career.

The #Braves today selected C Jonathan Lucroy after optioning C William Contreras to Triple-A Gwinnett following yesterday’s game. The club also transferred LHP Grant Dayton to the 60-day injured list.

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 7, 2021

Contreras did pretty well with the bat for a guy who made the jump from AA to the majors, but it’s clear he still needs some time to develop in the minors. Over his past 30 games, Contreras is hitting .182 with a .557 OPS. Over his last 15 games, he’s hitting .100 with a .347 OPS. And finally, over his last seven games, Contreras is hitting a dreadful .087 with a .255 OPS. That just isn’t going to cut it, especially in an offense that is absolutely helpless right now.

Jonathan Lucroy did not have an amazing 2021 with Washington before he was released. He did hit .357 with a .786 OPS over 14 at-bats, but his defense was nothing to write home about. In Gwinnett, Lucroy was only hitting .220 with a .681 OPS. Still, if you’re the Braves, you have to try something different at this point. This team is desperate for offense, so maybe Lucroy can provide a small spark like Orlando Arcia has up to this point.