When the Braves posted their opening-day lineup Monday, Braves third baseman Chris Johnson was surprised and not pleased to see Alberto Callaspo’s name at third base instead of his own. Initially, Johnson wondered if he’d been traded.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez had said he planned to use a “soft platoon” at third base, with Johnson playing against left-handers but also some right-handers. Johnson was 7-for-15 with a homer against Marlins opening-day starter Henderson Alvarez.
Asked if it was discouraging not to be in the opening day lineup, Johnson said, “Yeah, that is discouraging. I can’t do anything about that. If the manager thinks that there’s somebody better than me to play today, that’s his opinion and that’s what the lineup will show.”
The switch-hitting Callaspo was 2-for-7 with a homer against Alvarez before making the opening-day start Monday.
“It’s surprising,” Johnson said. “Obviously I want to play. I want to play every single day. I thought I would be playing, but I’ve got to put my head down, try to be a good teammate, and just go about my business the right way.”
Gonzalez said starting Callaspo in the opener wasn’t an indication that he’d altered his plan and switched from a “soft platoon” to a straight platoon of Johnson only against lefties and Callaspo against right-handers. He said he planned to start Johnson in the last two games of the series, also against right-handed starters.
Kelly Johnson got the opening-day start in left field instead of Jonny Gomes, whom Gonzalez plans to play against all lefties and some right-handers.
“It’s still a soft platoon,” Gonzalez said of third base. “I spoke to a couple of the guys. We’ll pick and choose. Listen, if you’re going to be a guy that’s going to play against right-handed pitching, then all of a sudden we get four lefties in a row, I’m not going to let you sit for a week. And vice-versa.
“Sometimes you start with a platoon or a soft platoon or whatever you want to call it, and somebody gets hot, you play…. The next couple of days, (Chris Johnson) plays. Today with Callaspo, get him in there. It’s fine.”
