SAN FRANCISCO – Adonis Garcia’s scheduled return from the disabled list has been pushed back several days, and when he’s back there will be a division of labor at third base between him and rookie Rio Ruiz, who’s earned playing time in the Braves’ view.
That was the gist of manager Brian Snitker’s comments before Friday night’s game at San Francisco, the opener of a nine-game, three-city trip that continues in Anaheim on Monday and finishes in Cincinnati June 2-4. Garcia had been scheduled to return during the Anaheim series, but Snitker said the revised rehab plan has Garcia returning during the Cincinnati series.
Ruiz is expected to be the regular third baseman until then and have at least a platoon role after Garcia returns. Snitker didn’t elaborate on how that might work out, but it’s conceivable that could get most starts against right-handers – which means most of the starts, period — as long as he continues to produce and can play good enough defense.
“That (division of duties) is still going to be up in the air,” Snitker said. “Rio’s here and he’s doing pretty good. Right now (the thinking is) probably split it up a little bit, maybe try to get a really productive position out of both of them maybe.”
After being called up during the just-completed homestand, Ruiz went 0-for-3 on May 18 against Toronto in his first game and struck out in a pinch-hit appearance May 19 against the Nationals. But after that he was 8-for-21 (.381) with four RBIs and two walks in the last six games of the homestand.
Garcia was the starting third baseman in 33 of 45 games before Friday and Braves third basemen were in the bottom half of MLB in every major offensive statistical category including tied for 25th in OPS (.634), 25th in in slugging percentage (.341), tied for 18th in homers (5), tied for 19th in RBIs (21), 29th in doubles (4) and tied for 26th in walks (12).
Garcia’s .351 slugging percentage and .630 OPS ranked last among 24 third basemen with enough plate appearances to qualify for rankings before Friday, and his .280 on-base percentage was next-to-last, better than only the Royals’ Mike Moustakas, who had 16 extra-base hits and 10 homers to Garcia’s seven extra-base hits and four homers.
In seven starts at first base before Friday, Ruiz was 8-for-24 (.333) with a .407 OBP and a .500 slugging percentage. The only blemish has been less-than-stellar defense including a costly error in Sunday’s loss to the Pirates. But it’s not as if Garcia is a threat to win a Gold Glove, either, and at 32 he doesn’t figure to be part of the Braves’ plans beyond this season.
Ruiz, at 23, could well be part of the Braves’ plans, and by watching him the rest of the season team officials can at least get a better idea of the feasibility of Ruiz being their third baseman next season.
In his first rehab game Friday at Triple-A Gwinnett, Garcia was 0-for-2 with a strikeout in five innings. The Braves planned for him to play five innings in his first game back and will ease him in with an off day or two during his stint with Gwinnett. Snitker said they wanted to make sure he doesn’t aggravate the Achilles with the sudden workload.
“He’s scheduled to come back when we open the Cincinnati series,” said Snitker, wearing a protective boot before batting practice Friday to care for the manager’s own ongoing case of Achilles tendinitis. “Because he’s going to play some games and there’s off days built in (his rehab plan). Just to make sure everything’s good.
“Rounding bases, that initial push-off, that whole – I’m going through it right now, the Achilles thing, and it’s such a fragile part, we just want to make sure he’s sound. Get him up to nine innings after time off. He was moving around good when we left, but it’ll be different when you hit a ball and come out of the box and everything, so we just want to make sure.”
A platoon makes plenty of sense, since the Braves have faced about four times as many righties as lefties this season. Ruiz, a left-handed hitter, batted .282 with an .822 OPS in 103 at-bats against righties at Triple-A this season, and had a .211 average and .560 OPS in 38 at-bats against lefties.
So far this major league season before Friday, Ruiz had struck out in his only at-bat against a lefty and had a .333 average and .907 OPS in 27 plate appearances against righties.
Garcia, too, could benefit from a platoon: He’s hit .230 with a puny .586 OPS in 128 plate appearances against righties this season, but has a .308 average and .976 OPS in 16 PAs vs. lefties. For his three-year career, Garcia has hit .255 with a .680 OPS in 676 PAs vs. righties, compared to an impressive .310 with an .839 OPS in 229 PAs vs. lefties.
Garcia’s major league future might be as a bench or platoon player and pinch-hitter, and if he thrives in the role this season it could drum up interest from other teams.
