New Braves prospect Hector Olivera could make his anticipated big-league debut as soon as Tuesday.
Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said Olivera will begin a rehabilitation assignment with the team’s Gulf Coast affiliate on Thursday. Olivera has been out a month with a hamstring injury.
Hart said Olivera would play a minimum of five minor-league games before joining the Braves.
“He will probably play two, three days in the Gulf Coast League then we will move him up through the system with the idea when he gets his legs under him a little bit and we are satisfied the hamstring is not an issue, we will bring him to Atlanta,” Hart said
The Braves acquired Olivera from the Dodgers on July 30 as part of a three-team trade and project him to play third base. Olivera, 30, last played a game on July 13 for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League.
Hart said there isn’t a set number of games Olivera will play in the minors.
“If he needs longer, we will give him longer but I don’t think it will be any earlier than five to seven games out,” Hart said.
Olivera has been working out at the Braves’ facility in the Orlando area and visited the Braves before they played the Rays on Tuesday. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Olivera wanted to catch up with Braves rookie Adonis Garcia, who was Olivera’s teammate in the Cuban junior league.
“He felt like he’s really close (to ready) and feeling good about it,” Gonzalez said.
The Braves have big expectations for Olivera, who Hart has called the “first building block” in retooling the offense. The Braves were one of several teams who were interested in signing Olivera last spring before the Dodgers won the bidding.
This season Olivera has hit .348 (24-for-69) with two home runs and a .392 on-base percentage in 19 games at three minor league levels. In seven games at Triple-A Oklahoma City he hit .387 (12-for-31) with a double, a triple and a home run.
Olivera played 10 seasons in Cuba’s top league before defecting in September. He was declared a major league free agent in March.
The Braves owe Olivera about $32 million over the next four years.
