LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Reid Brignac was among the Braves’ four roster cuts Saturday, but the versatile veteran showed enough to position himself for a call-up this summer if the need arises.
A non-roster invitee to spring training, Brignac hit .294 (10-for-34) with a .381 OBP, three doubles, a home run and eight RBIs in 20 games.
Though disappointed when told he’d been reassigned to minor league camp, Brignac had no interest in taking the day off after manager Fredi Gonzalez told him he could.
“He said, ‘Fredi, I want to get a workout in. I want to work,’” Gonzalez said late Saturday morning. “And later I went down there to spend some time with the minor league guys, and he was down there.”
Gonzalez said Brignac, who’s played in parts of eight seasons with five major league teams, would be a prime candidate if the Braves have an injury and need a player with some versatility during the season.
“He’s going to be 30 miles away (at Triple-A Gwinnett),” Gonzalez said. “We can only get 13 (position players on the 25-man roster), but there’s, like, four or five guys in Triple-A position-wise that I feel are part of our roster. And I told that to Reid, that at any time we could make a switch. He was that impressive — he plays all the positions in the infield, played the corner outfield positions — and just be ready.”
The Braves trimmed their camp roster to 36 players by optioning left-hander Ian Krol and right-hander Ryan Weber to Triple-A and reassigning Brignac and catcher Willians Astudillo to minor league camp.
