After missing the entire 2015 season caught up in governmental red tape, Braves outfielder Dian Toscano is finally ready to play and could make his winter-league debut this weekend in Puerto Rico.
Toscano, a Cuban defector who signed a four-year, $6 million free-agent contract a year ago, missed an entire season, first waiting to be permitted to enter the country, then waiting to be cleared to play. He got that final clearance in early November and has been preparing to spend the final month of the winter-ball season for Caguas in the Puerto Rico.
Caguas manager Alex Cora said Toscano, 26, was due to report Thursday and that he hoped to have him in games by the weekend. The Braves’ Hector Olivera, another Cuban defector, spent the past month with Caguas.
Toscano, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound left-handed hitter, is projected as a backup or platoon outfielder and might need to spend some time in Triple-A at the beginning of the 2016 season. A contact hitter with line-drive power, Toscano is said to more suited to left field but could also see some time in center, if needed.
He’s guaranteed $3.8 million in salary over the next three seasons, and the Braves also hold a $1.5 million option for 2019 with a $200,000 buyout. He didn’t receive any of an $800,000 salary in 2015 after spending the entire season on the restricted list.
Toscano hit .300 with a .403 OBP and .427 slugging percentage in Cuba’s highest league, Serie Nacional, during 2008-2012.
