B.J. Upton has made some progress of late at the plate but is taking it a step further, experimenting with prescription glasses. Upton tried out his glasses during batting practice Friday and then wore them in a game Friday night for the first time in his career.
He went 1-for-4 with an infield hit against the Reds but hit three balls hard and came off the field saying he noticed an immediate difference.
“I could just see the ball a lot more clearly on both sides of the field, offensively and defensively,” Upton said.
Upton said he’s considered wearing glasses before, but “it was something that I thought (about) but I never followed through with.”
The glasses Upton wore Friday had a standard-style frame, but he said he has ordered ones that cover more of his peripheral vision.
“They should be here shortly,” he said.
Upton is hitting .207 through his first 21 games. He is coming off a miserable first season with the Braves when he hit a career-low .184 last season in the first year of a five-year $75.25 million free agent contract.
Upton started the season 0-for-11 but has hit safely in 12 of his past 18 games in which he’s had an at-bat.
“It’s just the first day,” Upton said. “We’ll see how it goes, but I was definitely seeing the ball a little better.”
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