The Braves were confident when they designated Juan Francisco for assignment last Thursday, they would be able to get something in return for him on the trade market. On Monday, they acquired minor league left-hander Tom Keeling from the Brewers in exchange for Francisco and assigned him to Double-A Mississippi.
Keeling, 25, an 18th round draft pick in 2010 from Oklahoma State, spent parts of four seasons with the Brewers, advancing as high as Double-A Huntsville. He was 0-1 with 3.18 ERA in 17 relief appearances for Huntsville this season, with 15 hits allowed, 10 walks and 19 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Braves assistant general manager Bruce Manno and other Braves scouts saw Keeling pitch against the Double-A Mississippi Braves recently and came away impressed. His fastball reaches 92-93 mph and he throws from both a three-quarters and side-arm delivery. The Braves project he could pitch at the major-league level in the next couple of years.
“He’s got a real good arm and you can see where he gives left-handers a tough time with his angles,” said Braves general manager Frank Wren, who said the Braves will decide if they want him to continue to pitch from both angles.
Francisco was designated for assignment after the Braves promoted left-handed prospect Alex Wood and returned the bullpen to full strength with seven relievers. Francisco was the odd man out after hitting .241 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 35 games as a platoon third baseman. He has undeniable raw power but also struck out 43 times in only 108 at-bats.
Now Francisco lands a job in Milwaukee, which released former Brave shortstop Alex Gonzalez to make room for him on the roster.
The Braves had 10 days to trade Francisco, put him through waivers and assign him to the minors if he cleared, or release him. But he was out of minor league options, which limited what they could get in return in a trade.
“I think we got a guy that will pitch in the big leagues,” Wren said. “When you’re in a situation where you have a player without a lot of flexibility because he’s out of options, it makes it a little more difficult. You’ve got to find the right mix.”
Rookie award: Braves slugger Evan Gattis was named National League rookie of the month for the second consecutive month Monday, becoming the first player to win the award in back-to-back months since Jason Heyward did it for the Braves in April and May of 2010.
Gattis drove in 16 RBIs in 22 games in May to lead all major league rookies. His six home runs were tied for first with Padres infielder Jedd Gyorko. Gattis is leading all major league rookies in home runs (12), RBIs (32), extra-base hits (23) and slugging percentage (.593).
He produced at a high level without a regular home in the Braves lineup, rotating between catcher, left field and the designated hitter spot during interleague play. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has said keeping Gattis in the lineup is one of his top priorities.
Three of Gattis’ home runs in May accounted for the tying or go-ahead runs in the sixth inning or later, two coming in the eighth inning or later. He also clubbed his first career grand slam.
Pena's time: Freed from the American League and the Yankees' logjam in the infield, Braves utility infielder Ramiro Pena is showing what he can do with regular playing time.
Pena had just 313 at-bats over the past four seasons with the Yankees. That was a function of playing in the AL and behind Yankees stars Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano.
Signed by the Braves as a free agent in December, Pena already has 80 at-bats in 40 games this season. In his past 14 games before Monday, Pena was hitting .406 (13 of 32) with a double, a triple, two home runs and eight RBIs.
“I feel like I’m part of the team pretty much every day,” Pena said before the Braves played the Pirates. “It’s great for me. I feel good. Because as a player, the more often you play, the more often you get better.”
Entering Monday Pena had played 67.1 innings at third base, 56 at shortstop and 50.1 at second, according to Baseball Reference. He had no errors in 80 total chances.
“Ramiro is a great utility player,” Gonzalez said. “I feel real, real comfortable with him.”
Beachy progressing: Braves right-hander Brandon Beachy made his third minor league rehabilitation start Monday. Beachy pitched five innings and allowed six hits and three earned runs with a walk and four strikeouts while throwing 80 pitches with 55 strikes.
Without a setback, Beachy is scheduled to make two more starts while working up to 100 pitches with a target to return for the June 18 doubleheader against the Mets. Beachy had reconstructive elbow surgery in June 2012.
Ayala, Martinez update: Relievers Cristhian Martinez (shoulder) and Luis Ayala (anxiety disorder/high blood pressure) have spent the past few days at Turner Field but that was because the Braves had a break in the extended spring training schedule in Orlando with the draft approaching. Gonzalez said neither is close to returning, though Ayala is the closer of the two.
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