WASHINGTON – The Braves don’t know how long they’ll be without left fielder Hector Olivera, but their manager thinks they have the personnel on the current roster to handle the position.
Bench players Kelly Johnson, Jeff Francoeur and Drew Stubbs all have experience in left field, and Johnson got the start Wednesday night against the Nationals.
Olivera was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with assault and battery, and placed on administrative leave by Major League Baseball consistent with its joint domestic violence policy.
The Braves filled Olivera’s roster spot by bring up versatile infielder Daniel Castro from Triple-A Gwinnett.
“We feel like we can cover it up in left field with Kelly Johnson, Stubbs, Francoeur,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, “and bring Danny up and he can be a guy who can play all three positions in the infield and help us. I think we’ll be fine from that aspect.
“I think Kelly and Stubbs and Francoeur can do a nice job over there in left field for us.”
The Braves released veteran outfielder Michael Bourn on Tuesday, after designating him for assignment at the end of spring training when they set their 25-man roster. They owe Bourn a $14 million salary for the final year of his contract, and couldn’t find a team willing to trade for him and pick up any part of that salary.
Gonzalez said Castro could get a start at any infield position other than first base, and also be used as a late-innings defensive replacement. In his first major league season in 2015, Castro hit .240 (23-for-96) and played above-average defense.
“I like Danny Castro, I thought he made an impact for us last year,” Gonzalez said. “So if there’s a matchup or you feel like any of those infielders need a day off, I won’t hesitate a bit to run him in there.”
Gonzalez was asked if the Olivera arrest was even tougher to swallow given the Braves’ 0-7 start.
“It’s a serious allegation and it doesn’t matter if you’re 7-0 or 0-7,” he said. “You hope the guys rally behind each other. We’re professional. We all get paid to play a game, and play it hard and play it well. It doesn’t matter the problems that happen outside the clubhouse, you’ve still got to come in and perform. Whether it’s something as serious as that or if it’s one of your children is sick, you’ve still got to come in and perform. And I think this group will do that. Because we’ve been playing pretty good baseball, we just haven’t gotten any lucky breaks, and those things.
“I got the group together today and I told them this might be the best 0-7 team I’ve ever been around. I also told them everybody loses five in a row, but when you lose five in a row or seven in a row at the beginning of the season it’s like going 0-for-18 – everybody goes 0-for-18 or 1-for-18 somewhere down the road, but at the beginning of the year it gets really magnified.”
