CHICAGO – The Braves plan to reinstate position players Johan Camargo, Danny Santana and Adonis Garcia from the disabled list Monday after all completed brief minor league rehab assignments this weekend.
Monday is the last day of most minor league regular seasons and the Braves will probably make at least one September call-up on Tuesday, with left-hander Luiz Gohara the most likely candidate.
Braves general manager John Coppolella said team officials haven’t ruled out the possibility of calling up No. 1 prospect Ronald Acuna, but it still seems unlikely. The 19-year-old outfielder, a candidate for minor league player-of-the-year awards, isn’t on the 40-man roster and is set to play in the Arizona Fall beginning in early October.
The Braves might wait to add him to the 40-man roster next year, when he will probably compete for a spot on the opening-day roster.
Gohara, who turned 21 in July, is 7-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) across three minor league levels this season, with 147 strikeouts and 44 walks in 123 2/3 innings. He could make it to the majors after beginning the season at high Single-A Florida, where he went 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA in seven starts.
After a promotion to Double-A Mississippi, he was 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 12 games (11 starts), with 60 strikeouts and 18 walks in 52 innings. That earned him another bump to Triple-A Gwinnett, where Gohara is 2-2 with a 3.31 ERA in seven starts and has 48 strikeouts with 16 walks in 35 1/3 innings.
There have been some questions about his maturity and conditioning, but no one questions the talent and “live arm” of the Brazilian lefty, who came to the Braves from the Mariners along with lefty relief prospect Thomas Burrows in a January trade for outfield Mallex Smith and reliever Shae Simmons to Seattle.
Burrows, 22, has a 1.95 ERA in 37 relief appearances at Single-A Rome, with 88 strikeouts and 23 walks in 64 2/3 innings.