When shortstop Erick Aybar was struggling in the field, manager Fredi Gonzalez contemplated moving him to second base in favor of another option. Now that Aybar has improved on defense, Gonzalez said he’s not concerned about making a permanent move.
But Gonzalez said he still plans to play Aybar at second base occasionally with Daniel Castro, a strong defensive player, getting more time at shortstop.
“I think Aybar is OK over there (at shortstop),” Gonzalez said. “He’s not (Andrelton) Simmons, but who is Simmons?”
Aybar has been getting practice at second base in anticipation of playing there more often. He played second base regularly early in his career with the Angels.
In his first four games with the Braves, Aybar committed two errors in 20 chances. He hadn’t committed an error in 24 chances since then entering Saturday’s game against the Mets.
Castro was in the lineup at second base against the Mets on Saturday for his fifth start in nine games played since being called up from Triple-A Gwinnett on April 13. He’s committed no errors in 30 chances this season while splitting time between second base (20 chances), shortstop (five chances) and third base (four).
Last season with the Braves, Castro committed one error in 104 chances while playing second, shortstop and third.
“Castro is a good defender in all those positions,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said playing Castro at shortstop would allow him to keep both Aybar and Castro in the lineup. Castro hit .269 with a .296 on-base percentage in his first eight games.
