Camargo earning bigger role for Braves with recent play
WASHINGTON
— Johan Camargo came to Spring Training this year looking to prove he deserved a chance to at least serve as a utility player at the Major League level. He has entered the All-Star break as a legitimate candidate to serve as an everyday member of Atlanta’s lineup over the remainder of this season.
Camargo strengthened his resume and further legitimized comparisons to a young Martin Prado as he notched his second straight three-hit game during Sunday afternoon’s 10-5 loss to the Nationals. The Braves’ rookie highlighted his final game before the All-Star break by opening the sixth inning with the first homer of his young career.
“I’m just grateful and thankful for this opportunity that I’ve gotten,” Camargo said. “I’m happy going into the break and it’s business as usual. I’m going to take these couple days [during the break] to rest up a little bit and then get back to work and try to be consistent.”
Camargo has been a model of consistency since being recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett in early June to experience his third stint of the season on Atlanta’s roster. He has slashed .344/.374/.538 in 100 plate appearances since returning to the big league level. He has produced a .960 OPS during the 23 starts made within this span and provided a reliable glove, whether positioned at third base or either of the two middle infield spots.
His first career homer was a no-doubter as he turned on Matt Grace’s 0-1 slider and sent it over the Braves’ bullpen in left-center field. The sixth inning leadoff shot had a 107 mph exit velocity and traveled a projected 422 feet — the 10th-longest homer hit by a Braves player this year per Statcast™.
“You look at this kid and he’s a good piece going forward with his versatility,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “I’m not convinced he’s not an everyday big leaguer somewhere. The kid has got skills. He’s going to get bigger and stronger. The biggest thing for me is the growth physically and mentally and the maturity this kid has shown over the last couple of years.”
Camargo made a pair of starts at shortstop this past week in place of Dansby Swanson, who hit just .118 (4-for-34) over his final 11 games before the break and also committed his 15th error on Sunday. But at this point, it seems more likely his most likely everyday role will come at one of the other infield spots.
If the Braves opt to trade Matt Adams, Freddie Free- man will return to first base and Camargo would be the top candidate to serve as Atlanta’s primary third baseman. He could also serve as the starting second baseman if Brandon Phillips is traded. But that role could also be given to Sean Rodriguez, who is expected to return from left shoulder surgery by the end of this month.
“[Camargo] is skilled,” Snitker said. “He’s going to get bigger and stronger. He’s got skills, and skills play here. When you do good, you’ve got to find somewhere for them to play.”
In other recent Braves’ news:
Braves put Santana on DL WASHINGTON
— Shortly after arriving at Nationals Park Friday afternoon, Braves utility man Danny Santana was sent back to Atlanta and on to the 10-day disabled list with the hope that he does not have a staph infection.
The Braves revealed San- tana has a bacterial infection on his calf, but they chose not to specify which leg is affected, indicating they want to wait for further evaluation to show whether the infection has already spread.
Protecting against the possibility Santana is dealing with a contagious staph infection, the Braves sent Santana to the airport shortly after his teammates began arriving at Nationals Park for Friday night’s game against the Nationals.
“I don’t know that he’s in a whole lot of pain,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s just something you don’t want to mess around with and take the chance of anything spreading.”
During Thursday night’s series-opening win over the Nationals, the Braves medical staff informed Snitker that Santana was dealing with discomfort caused by a wound on his calf. The versatile veteran entered to play left field during the ninth inning.
But after noticing the ailment looked worse on Friday, the Braves medical staff determined Santana needed to be sidelined. Santana will learn the extent of his ailment when he is evaluated in Atlanta this weekend.
“They looked at him today, and it wasn’t good again,” Snitker said. “It was just something you don’t want to mess around with. So, we sent him back.”
Martin Prado missed a little more than a month after he was diagnosed with a staph infection on his leg while playing for the Braves in 2011.
“Hopefully, this doesn’t get to be that same kind of situation,” Snitker said.
After being acquired from the Twins in early May, Santana went hitless through his first 17 at-bats with the Braves. But he has since hit .286 and compiled an .842 OPS over 76 plate appearance. His speed has proven to be an asset both on the basepaths and in the outfield.
Santana will be eligible to be activated from the disabled list on July 17. If he does not have a staph infection, he could be cleared to play in Minor League games next week.
Rodriguez could join Braves by end of July ATLANTA
— The Braves have been so pleased with the progression of infielder Sean Rodriguez as he recovers from left shoulder surgery that they have accelerated his rehab assignment with hopes he can return later this month.
Rodriguez, who saw action with Class A Rome on Tuesday, will play for Triple-A Gwinnett this weekend. He will spend a couple games rehabbing his shoulder in what Braves manager Brian Snitker calls Rodriguez’s “Spring Training.” If all goes well, Rodriguez could see some games in Double-A Mississippi before joining the Braves’ lineup. Rodriguez has been sidelined all year following a car accident in January.
“He feels good and he is in Spring Training, so he has to build a little bit,” Snitker said. “I think he will probably let us know [when he is ready], and we have a schedule at the end of the month. It will be really surprising, if everything goes right, he isn’t back sooner or earlier.”
Rodriguez has spent the last few weeks going through infield drills and hitting in the batting cage at SunTrust Park. He has taken ground balls at second and third base, as well as putting in some work in the outfield.