Catcher Anthony Recker was designated for assignment by the Braves and rookie infielder Johan Camargo was optioned back to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.
The moves were made to accommodate the arrival of Matt Adams, who came from the Cardinals in a Saturday trade and will fill in for injured first baseman Freddie Freeman. Recker was DFA’d to clear a spot on the 40-man roster and Camargo was optioned to open a spot on the 25-man major league roster.
Camargo, a versatile infield prospect, had a hit in his first major league start Friday, playing in place of injured third baseman Adonis Garcia. But the Braves also have rookie third baseman Rio Ruiz, who hit a two-run homer Saturday in a win against the Nationals, and Jace Peterson is back in a utility role now that Adams has arrived to fill in at first base.
The Braves could have DFA’d or released struggling veteran utility player Emilio Bonifacio from the 25-man roster, but they optioned Camargo because they want him to play on a regular basis to continue his development. He’s had two stints with the major league team this season and only got 11 at-bats in eight games. He was 1-for-4 with three strikeouts as a pinch-hitter, a difficult role for a young player.
Recker, 33, could be traded, put on waivers or released by the Braves. He was hitting just .178 with a .288 on-base percentage in 14 games at Triple-A Gwinnett, though he had three homers and a .444 slugging percentage. A year ago, he was a pleasant surprise for the Braves, hitting a major league career-best .278 with 10 extra-base hits and a .395 OBP.
Recker became expendable after the Braves signed former All-Star catcher Kurt Suzuki in January to split the catching duties with Tyler Flowers.
