Preston Tucker experienced an oddity May 4: He was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett, only to rejoin the Braves hours later.
Tucker, who lost his starting left field job upon the promotion of top prospect Ronald Acuna, was hitting .282 with three homers and 18 RBIs through 29 games before his demotion.
The Braves sent Tucker down when they called up veteran Jose Bautista. Tucker was recalled later that Friday afternoon when Dansby Swanson was placed on the disabled list with a wrist injury.
Gwinnett was on the road, and the Braves had just returned from a three-city road trip, so Tucker was taking the weekend off before reporting to Triple-A. He was also readily available if needed.
“That was weird, man,” he said. “Obviously it was the last thing I wanted. I was taking the weekend off just hanging out. But I was in town, and they let me know that they needed me so I got there in 30 minutes ready to go.”
Tucker's role has lessened as the season's gone on. He previously likened the 2018 Braves to the Astros' breakthrough in 2015, when they transitioned from full rebuild to contender.
As the Astros’ young talent rose, Tucker found himself out of a role. After spending 2017 in Triple-A, he was traded to the Braves last winter.
Despite being surrounded by screams for Acuna, Tucker performed admirably as a placeholder. His short-lived demotion wasn’t a product of his play. The team needed to open a 25-man roster spot and could retain Tucker, unlike Ryan Flaherty and Charlie Culberson, who are both out of options.
“They let me know it wasn’t the way I was playing,” he said. “Unfortunately sometimes it’s a bad thing to have options and be on that side. The option’s still there. It really just depends on what they need at the right time.”
Tucker hasn’t changed much mentality since going from everyday outfielder to backup. He served a fluid platoon/backup role in 2015-16 in Houston.
There’s an argument for sending a player in Tucker’s position to Triple-A. It allows the player to receive consistent playing time and be more prepared if needed upon injury or the like.
But Tucker embraces his current role, and with winning more important (and realistic) than recent seasons, he believes he can contribute to such.
He backed that up Sunday, with his pinch-hit single resulted in the game-winning RBI. He's 5-for-13 as a pinch-hitter this season.
“It’s one thing to get more at-bats down there, but if I can be a valuable asset off the bench, if I can help us win games up here, I think winning is important now,” he said. ”We’re in first place. Hopefully I can keep doing that up here.”
