Ender Inciarte’s recent hitting resurgence led Braves manager Brian Snitker to move him back to the leadoff spot Friday, and Snitker would like to keep him there.
“I just kind of feel that with him up there doing what he’s capable of, that’s our best (lineup),” Snitker said after putting Inciarte back in the leadoff spot for the first time in 15 games for Friday’s series opener against the Orioles at SunTrust Park. “So we’ll see.”
Inciarte hit just .184 (16-for-87) with a .260 OBP and .490 OPS in 23 games from May 16 to June 10, and Ozzie Albies batted leadoff in 13 of the past 14 games before Friday. Dansby Swanson also hit leadoff once in that stretch.
But with Albies still struggling to get on base consistently and Inciarte having a .357 average (10-for-28) with four extra-base hits, a .400 OBP and .971 OPS in his past seven games before Friday, Snitker returned the center fielder to the leadoff spot that Inciarte held from early August 2016 until eight weeks ago, when Snitker moved Albies to the leadoff spot after the second baseman’s scorching-hot first month.
Albies has struggled mightily this month, batting .153 (11-for-72) with a .187 OBP and .520 OPS in 17 June games before Friday. Snitker moved him to the second spot in the order Friday in front of slugger Freddie Freeman.
“Sometimes you’ve got to make adjustments -- just like players do, we do in the lineup,” Snitker said. “When things don’t work out quite the way you want, then we adjust to try to get it going again. And hopefully this will be something to help get it going again.”
The Braves also made a roster move Friday, purchasing the contract of veteran outfielder/utility man Danny Santana from Triple-A Gwinnett after placing rookie starting pitcher Mike Soroka on the 10-day disabled list for rotator-cuff inflammation.
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