Catcher Brian McCann will start the season on the disabled list and likely miss at least a few weeks, which makes what Evan Gattis is doing all the more important for the Braves.
Gattis hit his third homer in 24 hours Saturday, a solo shot against Houston that caromed off the black screen above the center-field fence at Champion Stadium, 25 feet above the field and directly over the 400-foot marker.
The 26-year-old catcher/left fielder hit two homers Friday against Philadelphia and has a .388 average and team-best .796 slugging percentage. The homer off Phillip Humber gave Gattis a team-high 10 extra-base hits in 49 at-bats.
He caught Julio Teheran in a splendid performance Saturday — six hitless innings, no run, 10 strikeouts in a 3-2 win — after catching Friday when Paul Maholm gave up no earned runs (four unearned) in six innings against the Phillies.
Teheran has been the Braves’ best starter this spring, going 3-1 with a 1.04 ERA and racking up 35 strikeouts in 26 innings while allowing just seven hits, three runs and nine walks.
Though it seemed a given since the first week of camp, Teheran was told this week he’d won the fifth-starter job.
“That was my motivation for today,” the Colombian rookie said, “trying to be ready now for the season, and try to do the same thing during the season that I’ve been doing.”
Gattis hasn’t played above Double-A, but has hit for average and big power at every place the Braves have sent him.
With McCann recovering from shoulder surgery, veteran backup Gerald Laird was expected to handle most catching duties early, and Gattis was to compete with Christian Bethancourt and Matt Pagnozzi for the backup job behind Laird.
Gattis has been one of the Grapefruit League’s top hitters, and now it’s just a matter of whether the Braves decide to put him on the opening-day roster — it seems likely they will — and then what they’ll do once McCann returns. One option would be to keep Gattis as a third catcher/fifth outfielder, giving the Braves a right-handed power bat off the bench.
If his defense was ever an issue, it’s not now. It’s a question of whether the Braves think he would get enough playing time as backup catcher and perhaps later as a third catcher/fifth outfielder. It’s possible he could start two or three games a week until McCann returns. Laird strained a calf early and has played in only 10 games (20 at-bats).
“I don’t think we feel any discomfort at all with his catching ability,” general manager Frank Wren said of Gattis. “You want to make sure you’re doing what’s best for the kid and the organization. Is it going to hinder his development? For the organization, are we hurting an asset long-term? And for the team, does this help us now?”
McCann update: He caught his first bullpen session Saturday and will begin hitting in minor league games Wednesday, Wren said. There still are several steps in McCann's shoulder-surgery rehab and no set timetable for his return.
McCann has been limited to long-toss sessions. Throwing to the pitcher in bullpen sessions, when a catcher doesn’t use his legs making throws, puts more strain on the shoulder.
“He’s progressing fine. I don’t think he’s behind or ahead (of schedule),” Wren said. “The improvement could happen very quickly once you get the shoulder strengthened. It’s just a matter of how quickly the shoulder strengthens and responds and gets resilient. It’s not just one day being strong, it’s being resilient and bouncing back the next day and being able to take the grind.”
Beginning Wednesday, McCann will hit — and hit only — in minor league spring-training games. He has been instructed to strictly avoid sliding, diving or colliding with anything or anyone until April 16, the six-month mark after surgery.
Etc. Closer Craig Kimbrel gave up a two-run, two-out homer to Houston's Rick Ankiel in the ninth inning, after hitting Chris Carter with a pitch. Kimbrel has given up six hits, five earned runs and two homers in six innings of six Grapefruit League appearances, with five walks with five strikeouts. He also allowed three hits and two runs in a Team USA loss to the Dominicans in the World Baseball Classic. Gonzalez wasn't concerned and noted Ankiel's homer was aided by a stiff breeze. … Dan Uggla gave the Braves a 1-0 lead with a second-inning homer against the Astros. It was the second homer of the spring for the second baseman, who's batting .215 but has four hits in 10 at-bats in his past three games. … Minor league third baseman Edward Salcedo drove in four runs with two homers in the last two innings of a 10-5 split-squad win against the Blue Jays. The former top prospect was an extra brought from minor league camp for Saturday's game.
