Inciarte to DL; Smith called up

[bravesfanforlife88]

Ender Inciarte was placed on the DL. Mallex Smith will take Inciarte's roster spot. per Bowman


Exciting news. Hopefully he gets to play more than Stubbs

[The Chosen One]

Chip and Joe still think the call up is undecided and think it might be Bonifacio lol.

[Braves1976]

Chip and Joe still think the call up is undecided and think it might be Bonifacio lol.

Looks like they signed Boni to replace Smith in CF for G-Braves since Mallex is Majors bound.

[skillet]

Unless they are going to send Mallex back down when Inciarte comes back, this is really poor move. No need at all to start his clock in a wasted year.

[Carp]

I don't think Mallex is the type of player that you worry about when his cloc starts.

[smootness]

I don't think Mallex is the type of player that you worry about when his cloc starts.

Plus, there's no guarantee he stays up.

[UNCBlue012]

Good to see Mallex coming up! Inciarte will be just fine so it's not too worthy-some!

[NinersSBChamps]

If he sniffs the bigs his clock starts automatically? Or does he have to at the big league level for a certain amount of time?

[smootness]

If he sniffs the bigs his clock starts automatically? Or does he have to at the big league level for a certain amount of time?

His clock starts immediately, but it only runs while he's on the major-league roster. So if he goes back down at some point, his clock stops again.

[dak]

I'd prefer to wait on Mallex for a little while longer and just add Boni for now (gulp) as a backup. I'm higher on Stubbs than most though and don't mind him starting for a couple weeks given the situation.

[Braves1976]

I'd prefer to wait on Mallex for a little while longer and just add Boni for now (gulp) as a backup. I'm higher on Stubbs than most though and don't mind him starting for a couple weeks given the situation.

Me too to be honest but I am okay with it as long as he goes back down after Inciarte returns. I just hope they're not doing it to help decide on keeping Inciarte long-term (as in trading him when/if Mallex shows himself ready). I want to keep both unless Mallex shows himself strong enough that another team is willing to overpay for him. I wouldn't trade Inciarte regardless. I'd prefer to build around him and Mallex and trade Markakis, etc.

[skillet]

I'd prefer to wait on Mallex for a little while longer and just add Boni for now (gulp) as a backup. I'm higher on Stubbs than most though and don't mind him starting for a couple weeks given the situation.

Ditto, and if it causes us to lose a couple more all the better to help secure the #1 pick in the 2017 draft.

[Braves1976]

Ditto, and if it causes us to lose a couple more all the better to help secure the #1 pick in the 2017 draft.

Yep. Plus maybe losing more will get Fredi gone by the All-Star break. One would hope anyway, though I doubt it.

[JxnMissFan]

Playing guys like Stubbs and Beckham coupled with Fredi being Fredi will fast track the team to the number one pick. I think they can lock up the first pick by August.

I hope they start letting guys like Mallex and Castro have a chance to get some big league experience. Other than playing for the number one pick why is Stubbs even on the team. He's 32 years old and as far as I can tell the only thing he brings to the team is that he is right handed. At least Frenchy brings the added dimension of being a fan favorite.

Stubbs lead the major leagues in strikeouts with 205 in 2011. That's a big accomplishment for a guy that's not a home run hitter.

[UNCBlue012]

Playing guys like Stubbs and Beckham coupled with Fredi being Fredi will fast track the team to the number one pick. I think they can lock up the first pick by August.

I hope they start letting guys like Mallex and Castro have a chance to get some big league experience. Other than playing for the number one pick why is Stubbs even on the team. He's 32 years old and as far as I can tell the only thing he brings to the team is that he is right handed. At least Frenchy brings the added dimension of being a fan favorite.

Stubbs lead the major leagues in strikeouts with 205 in 2011. That's a big accomplishment for a guy that's not a home run hitter.

As much as it sucks to lose, having the number three pick, PLUS international picks and another top 2-3 pick next year is pretty darn exciting.

[Enscheff]

If Mallex can become some sort of Bourn/Span hybrid I would be ecstatic. I think he will settle in a little lower than that, but still a very useful piece at the top of a lineup while his salary is low.

I just hope they don't keep him up all year when Inciarte returns. The Braves are well on their way to a 100 loss season, and there is no reason to add more and more service time to Smith's resume this season.

[smootness]

As much as it sucks to lose, having the number three pick, PLUS international picks and another top 2-3 pick next year is pretty darn exciting.

It is indeed. If we add a college bat at 3 this year, I would love to grab the top college pitcher if possible with next year's pick, assuming there is an elite college arm there to be had. I wish Seth Beer was eligible next year.

[clvclv]

Just don't personally see that they had much choice. They're probably getting close to the point that they're running the risk of playing in front of Marlins'-like crowds if they don't try something different. We just lost the best Pitcher we've had so far (Winkler), Julio can't throw strikes that aren't center-cut and crushed, Freddie's not hitting, we're almost always too far behind to find an excuse to get Vizcaino into a game, and he's replacing the only offensive player on the 40-Man Roster who's remotely as exciting as he is.

They've said all spring that promotions were going to be "merit-based" and wouldn't be influenced by service time - at this rate, Blair's going to challenge that commitment before June as well - trades or no trades.

[striker42]

Here's a hypothetical:

Suppose Mallex comes up and hits well. By the end of the month he's slashing .300/.375/.350 with 8-10 stolen bases and a couple doubles. He's just in the middle of every rally and is a huge sparkplug. During the same time we have Olivera continuing to struggle. He's slashing .240/.285/.325 with no power and is struggling on defense.

Do you think there's any way we'd keep Mallex in Atlanta and send Olivera to Gwinnett?

Personally, I don't see it happening. The front office has face at stake with Olivera after all they gave up for him and how hard they've tried to sell him. If they sent him to Gwinnett it would be a huge black eye for them.