Even after the addition of Jorge Soler, the Braves still have massive holes all over the outfield. It very well might be the worst outfield in all of baseball; it certainly has been since Ronald Acuña Jr. went down for the season with a torn ACL. Soler will eventually help in that regard, but the Braves are really banking on Michael Harris II returning in about 10-14 days and proving to be the player he has been for most of the first few years of his career.
Harris is eligible to come off the IL on August 14th, and Alex Anthopoulos suggested a rehab assignment could be right around the corner. Provided there are no setbacks, it’s reasonable he’ll be activated right around when he’s eligible. So, who gets the axe when Harris is ready?
Luke Williams is the most uninspiring option currently roster, but his ability to play the infield will keep him around until Ozzie Albies is ready to return. It will undoubtedly be one of the Braves outfielders that will be let go, all of whom are currently playing some pretty significant roles at the moment due to injuries and underperformances.
Jarred Kelenic isn’t going anywhere. While somewhat underwhelming, he’s still been the best of the bunch. Plus, the Braves just traded for him this past offseason and he’s under contract for several more years.
Adam Duvall is also likely safe, due to the fact that he still crushes left-handed pitching, and he’s actually shown he can be extremely productive as recently as last year with the Red Sox. This could be the end of the road for Duvall’s career, but the Braves will hang onto him because of his ability to get scorching hot and past success against southpaws.
That leaves Eddie Rosario and Ramon Laureano as the most likely candidates to get DFA’d. Rosario obviously has the name value because of what he’s done for this club in the past, but that was three years ago. In 23 games for the Braves, he’s hitting just .169 with a .481 OPS while playing sub-par defense. He’s essentially brought nothing to the club since the Braves picked him back up, while Laureano has actually played some pretty good ball in Atlanta.
Over 22 games, the veteran is hitting .250 with a .710 OPS. Nothing spectacular, but it’s above average, which is something not many players in this Braves lineup can scoff at. Laureano also provides better defense and more versatility since he can play all three outfield positions.
On the field, Laureano has done everything he can to this point to earn a spot on this roster. If the decision were to be made today, I would lean towards the Braves sticking with him over Rosario. But there is something to be said about Rosario’s ability to get hot with the stick along with his results in clutch situations.
It’s unlikely either player is going to be starting very often when Harris returns. So, the decision could come down to who the Braves trust more in the bottom of the ninth when they need to score a run. In that situation, I’m probably leaning toward Rosario.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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