Catcher Evan Gattis played seven games at first base for Class-A Rome in 2011, but the Braves don’t expect to have the rookie slugger start any games at first base while Freddie Freeman is on the disabled list.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez said catcher Gerald Laird or would be among the “emergency” options at first base, but that Chris Johnson would be the regular starter there while Freeman is out. Freeman was placed on the DL Sunday with a strained oblique muscle in his side.
Laird has played some first base in two major league games. Utility man Blake DeWitt, called up Sunday from Triple-A, also has limited minor-league experience at first base.
“In the minor leagues they tried (Gattis at first base) a little bit,” Gonzalez said. “The closest I’ve seen is him take some ground balls one day (before a spring training game). I don’t have a feel for that. But we’ll see. I asked our (teams officials and minor league coaches), guys who’ve seen him play first base.
“Laird could do it in an emergency. But for an every-day thing, for a replacement for Freeman, I’m not sure (he could). I think Chris Johnson will serve that purpose and serve it well.”
The Braves opted for the left-handed-hitting DeWitt over Ernesto Mejia, a big first baseman who hit .297 with 50 homers and 191 RBIs over the past two seasons at Triple-A Gwinnett.
“(General manager) Frank (Wren) and I talked about Mejia,” Gonzalez said. “It’s just we were looking for a left-handed bat off the bench to kind of balance us out. That was the reason we brought DeWitt over Mejia. That’s the decision we made. (DeWitt) may not even get a start in the next 15 games. But he’s a professional guy who’s done it before and he can come off the bench. That was our thinking.
“And we’ve got Chris Johnson to play first. We feel comfortable he can do a good job there.”
