ST. LOUIS — Since the start of their trip, the Braves have played a man down as Brian Anderson stayed home to deal with a lower-body bacterial infection. The Braves’ decision to take only 25 players on the road is not a big deal – remember when the team played a man short for two weeks when Austin Riley was injured?
On Monday, though, Orlando Arcia left the game because of dizziness. And after the game, Braves manager Brian Snitker said Arcia likely would receive a day off Tuesday to take a breather after being dehydrated.
Thus, the Braves on Tuesday placed Anderson on the injured list, backdated to June 22. They recalled Luke Williams.
A move seemed possible after Snitker said Arcia would get Tuesday off. The Braves would’ve been taking a risk had they not put Anderson on the injured list and called up Williams.
They can play a man down, but two? In the case of injury or some other unforeseen matter, the Braves would’ve been putting themselves in a bad spot.
This way, Williams provides coverage as a utilityman. And if healthy, Anderson can return as soon as July 2.
Neither Anderson nor hitting coach Kevin Seitzer are on this trip. Seitzer is dealing with a family matter and is expected to join the team when it returns to Atlanta for Friday’s series opener against Pittsburgh.
Fans might think playing a man down isn’t a good idea, but the Braves have made it work in the past. Nowadays, with the universal designated hitter and 26 roster spots, the last man on the Braves’ bench hardly plays. Braves regulars play every day. You could argue that 26 is too many roster spots for the Braves, so they weren’t really leaving themselves exposed by not placing Anderson on the injured list before Tuesday.
Since the Braves signed him June 4, Anderson has gotten at-bats in three games, including starting two of them. He’s 0-for-5.
Williams spent just over a month on the big-league roster from late April to late May. He took only three at-bats in that time, and went hitless.
With Triple-A Gwinnett this season, he’s batting .288 with an .862 OPS. He has seven homers and 28 RBIs.
After Monday’s loss to the Cardinals, Snitker said he believed Arcia was dehydrated. (Temperatures were in the 90s, with humidity.) The Braves’ athletic training staff gave Arcia IV fluids. Through a team spokesman, Arcia politely declined comment after the game. He didn’t appear to feel too well.
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