Ronald Acuña Jr.'s injury, paired with Jurickson Profar's suspension, left the Atlanta Braves incredibly shorthanded in the outfield. To address the lack of depth, Alex Anthopoulos made an under-the-radar trade, acquiring Stuart Fairchild in a deal with the Cincinnati Reds. His struggles in Atlanta could lead to his departure after just a couple of months with the team.
Fairchild was never acquired to play a starring role. In fact, just days before the trade, he was DFA'd by the Reds. He was mainly acquired to start in the outfield against left-handed pitching and potentially provide some speed off the bench.
Unfortunately, his struggles in a Braves uniform will likely cut his tenure in Atlanta short, especially with Acuña just days away from his long-awaited return.
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Ronald Acuña's return should end Stuart Fairchild's tenure in Atlanta
Acuña is currently with Triple-A Gwinnett on a rehab assignment. Assuming all goes well, there's reason to believe he'll be back around when the Braves return home on Friday, May 23. When Acuña does return, someone on the active roster will have to go. Fairchild should be that player.
The 29-year-old has appeared in 18 games for the Braves this season, and it's safe to say, it's been a struggle. He has recorded just three hits in 29 at-bats (.103 batting average) and has a .368 OPS. He has gone just 2-for-18 against left-handed pitching, which defeats the purpose of him being in town to begin with.
Fairchild was a somewhat decent fourth outfielder with the Reds, and he does provide value on the base paths and in the field, but it's really hard to justify rostering him when he isn't hitting, especially when Acuña comes back.
When Acuña returns, he'll play virtually every day. Even amid his struggles, Michael Harris II is an everyday player for the Braves as well, and Eli White has played well enough to play regularly, at least until Profar returns. The battle for the fourth outfielder spot will likely be between Fairchild and Alex Verdugo. Even with Verdugo slumping, he's shown a lot more offensively than Fairchild has.
The Braves could choose to keep Fairchild over Luke Williams, but Williams offers similar high-end speed and more defensive versatility. It makes more sense to roster the player who can play more positions in the field. Once Acuña returns, Fairchild should, and probably will, be the one to go.