ST. LOUIS—Adonis Garcia isn't established in the major leagues like the players the Braves traded away but he'll get a chance to show he can produce.
The Braves called up Garcia and infielder Daniel Castro from Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday as replacements for traded veterans Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson. Manager Fredi Gonzalez put Garcia in the lineup at third base against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
“We are going to give him opportunities,” Gonzalez said. “He’s having a pretty good year in Triple-A. We need some offense. Maybe this guy is a guy who can help us.”
Garcia, 30, made his debut in the majors for the Braves in May and was 0-for-1 with a walk in two plate appearances. He played seven seasons in Cuba’s top league before leaving the country and signing with the Yankees in 2012.
Garcia was hitting .284 for Gwinnett with a .314 on-base percentage and a .369 slugging percentage. He also plays left field.
“I’m very happy and very excited to go out there and play and start for the first time,” Garcia said through interpretation by Braves assistant coach Horacio Ramirez. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity and going out there and doing well.”
Castro, 22, made his major-league debut on June 17 against the Red Sox and got a hit in his only plate appearance. He was sent back to Gwinnett the next day.
“Castro can play all over the infield, he can hit-and-run, he can bunt, he’s a really top defender,” Gonzalez said.
In 21 July games for Gwinnett Castro was hitting .229 with a .267 on-base percentage.
“I wasn’t expecting this (promotion),” Castro said through Ramirez. “I was going through a tough time in Gwinnett, had a tough stretch. I’m happy I’m here and they had confidence in bringing me up.”
The Braves traded Uribe and Johnson to the Mets on Friday for a pair of pitching prospects.
