Fansided

Each MLB team’s expected call-ups for roster expansion

By Kyle Franzoni

May 11, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley against the Washington Nationals at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
May 11, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley against the Washington Nationals at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 12, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tyrell Jenkins (63) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 12, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Tyrell Jenkins (63) throws a pitch during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Braves

Entering play on Friday, the Atlanta Braves are 19 games below .500 and 17 games behind the New York Mets in the National League East. This is not a team that has any aspirations on the postseason and they understand that, having already waved the white flag at the trade deadline. As such, the Braves are going to use September to evaluate what they have and who might contribute in 2015.

Curiously enough, Atlanta is expected to call-up a few prospects but are not expected to go nuts either, as mentioned by David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. In fact, the Braves may choose to activate just two players; catcher Christian Bethancourt and infielder Hector Olivera.

Bethancourt started the season with Atlanta but quickly showed that he isn’t quite ready to handle Major League pitching at the plate, hitting .185/.214/.269 in 39 games of action. However, he’s been much better since heading back to the minors, slashing .327/.359/.480 with four home runs and 31 RBI in 52 games at Triple-A. There are still those in the organization that see the 23-year-old as the future behind the plate for Atlanta and he’s earned another look in September.

Olivera will almost certainly be recalled, as he’s technically on injury rehab and the Braves want to see what they have in the centerpiece of the deal that sent Alex Wood to the Dodgers at the deadline. The Cuban import has appeared in just 32 professional games in the U.S. (split between the Dodgers and Braves organizations) and has been somewhat pedestrian with a .272/.325/.360 slash-line. However, the 27-year-old has a lot of power potential and the Braves have the ability to squeeze him in at second base without disrupting the organization much.

Interestingly enough, O’Brien doesn’t feel that Atlanta will recall prospect Tyrell Jenkins. A big piece of the Jason Heyward trade with St. Louis during the offseason, Jenkins has pitched at both Double and Triple-A this season, posting a combined 8-9 record with a 3.23 ERA and a 5.8 K/9 ratio. However, he has struggled a bit with control, walking batters at a clip of 4.0 per nine innings pitched. Still, it couldn’t hurt Atlanta to throw him a start or two at the game’s highest level just to get his feet wet.

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