September Callups
With September rolling in yesterday (already?), the Braves called up five players to bolster the bench and bullpen. With the Gwinnett season ending Monday, it is possible to see other players called up after that.
Peter Moylan has already made an appearance throwing a perfect inning, doing what he’s always done, getting three groundouts. He only threw nine pitches, eight of which were his heavy sinker at 89-91. I would assume he will be inserted into his old role, coming in to face righties with guys on base to get double plays.
Jeff Baker also made an appearance yesterday, after the Braves completed a trade with the Tigers. He can play first, second, third, left, and right, though he’s not great defensively. He hasn’t hit much this year, which is evident as he’s now on his third team during the season. In his career, he has an enormous platoon split, hitting .298/.345/.504 (119 wRC+) against lefties and .241/.294/.367 (66 wRC+) against righties. His main role will be pinch-hitting against lefties, especially if Juan Francisco is at third that day. He can also spell Freddie Freeman at first against a lefty.
Lyle Overbay was hitting alright with the Diamondbacks before his release, posting a .292/.367/.448 (113 wRC+) line. He will likely take away Eric Hinske‘s pinch-hit opportunities, due to Hinske’s struggles this year. He’s not worthless against lefties, but he’s much stronger against righties.
Jose Constanza is basically just a pinch-running option, possibly getting some leadoff pinch-hit opportunites. J.C. Boscan‘s biggest contribution may be as an insurance policy to let David Ross pinch-hit in a game.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cory Gearrin and Anthony Varvaro called up Tuesday, possibly joined by Randall Delgado and Julio Teheran. Ben Sheets should be back before the end of the season, while Andrelton Simmons has been cleared for baseball activities. The Braves are currently going the wrong direction, but they still have the wild-card lead and a whole month to turn things around.