Braves announced this morning that they have selected the corner player’s contract Pablo Sandoval. Outfielder Phil Ervin was assigned to the task of cleaning up the 40-man on-call space. In addition, Braves launched unscaled utilities Jason Kipnis.
Sandoval was part of the Atlanta squad at the end of last season and made four post-season appearances. The Braves brought him back on a deal for the secondary league in January, and now he will win a spot at the season opener on the active roster. Sandoval will join a crowded but still uncertain third base combination in Atlanta, where Austin Riley, João camargo, Jake Lamb and the newly added Ehire Adrianza everyone could have playing time. Sandoval, 34, hit just 0.214 / 0.287 / 0.262 in 94 plate appearances last season, but he was an above average hitter in 2019 with the Giants.
Ervin has been recovering from the Reds’ resignations from the Mariners, Cubs and Atlanta since last summer. The 28-year-old scored quite well in his first seasons in Cincinnati, but dropped to a .149 / .292 / .189 mark last season. The teams remained intrigued by Ervin’s combination of decent attack and ability to play in all three field positions, but the out-of-options outfielder struggled to keep an active squad. Atlanta has a week to negotiate with Ervin or place him under total exemption.
Kipnis signed a lower league contract with Atlanta after spending the last season with the Cubs. The ex-second base of the Indians reached .237 / .341 / .404 with Chicago in 2020. He will now return to the open market in search of a new opportunity.