Atlanta Braves promote top prospect Tommy La Stella

The Dan Uggla experience as a member of the Atlanta Braves has been a bumpy one, and as a result, the team has (finally) made their best internal move to replace him in the long-term. On Wednesday afternoon, the Braves elected to promote of their top hitting prospects, second baseman Tommy La Stella, to the Major Leagues in advance of their road trip to face the Boston Red Sox.

It should be noted that Mark Bowman of MLB.com went on to say that Uggla will “stick with the club”, but make no mistake, the promotion of La Stella prior to the Super Two deadline is an indication that they plan to utilize him. The Braves could go in several directions with their corresponding roster move, as both Evan Gattis and Andrelton Simmons are undergoing injury issues, with bench options Tyler Pastornicky and Jordan Schafer struggling enough to become candidates for ousting.

As for La Stella, the 25-year-old has developed an impressive ability to draw walks (more than 10% in his minor league career), and that has allowed him to post a .422 on-base percentage in 2013 and a .384 mark thus far in 2014. Still, there are some reasonable concerns about his ability to hit for power (slugging percentage sits at .359 this season) and his defensive aptitude is certainly in question at the Major League level.

Still, the Braves are understandably desperate for better production at second base, and Tommy La Stella presents easily their best internal option for optimism.