Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez gave center fielder Cameron Maybin a break and got some at-bats for his veteran bench players.
Maybin was out of the lineup on Tuesday against the Rockies after he’d played 71 of 72 games since June 5, including 69 starts.
“It’s something we’ve kind of been looking at for a while to give him a breather,” Gonzalez said. “He’s played a lot, and played well.”
Maybin is on pace for a career-best season at the plate. He’s hitting .278 with a .340 on-base percentage and a .399 slugging percentage and has a chance to top the career-high 147 games he played in 2012 with the Padres.
With Maybin out of the lineup on Tuesday, Michael Bourn started in centerfield and Nick Swisher was in left. Gonzalez said Maybin would be in lineup for the Rockies series finale on Wednesday.
“That’s a dynamic within itself, trying to get all of those (bench) guys in there,” Gonzalez said. “Everybody deserves to play and everybody has done a good job in those roles.”
