Ehire Adrianza has been arguably the biggest story on the Braves since spring training games began March 1. A five-game absence last week didn’t stop the hype.
Adrianza, 31, was away from the club to be sworn-in as a citizen of the United States. When the process was complete, he also had to clear COVID protocols before rejoining the Braves. He was with the team opening day in Philadelphia but didn’t reunite with teammates until the home opener Friday.
“It was pretty tough,” Adrianza, a native of Venezuela, said of his time away from the team. “I did the test and they said the ceremony, it has to be in the next couple days. We don’t have the ceremony in the same day because of COVID. It was tough, but I have a cage in my home and I took a couple swings. I threw with my little brother. I ran a little bit. It wasn’t like I lost it all.”
He didn’t miss a beat: Adrianza, a non-roster invitee who hit .400 in spring training to earn his spot, hit a pinch-hit homer in his first game back. He followed that with a double Saturday and scored the game-winning run to secure the series win over the Phillies.
Adrianza’s unexpected surge, along with Pablo Sandoval’s two timely pinch-hit homers, has quelled concerns about the Braves’ bench. Even they admitted they were uneasy about the group entering the season because there were so many unknowns. The team had remade the group from a year ago.
Yet so far, so good. Sandoval looks like the exact player they billed him as, a veteran who posts competitive at-bats and can still change the game with a swing. Adrianza likewise checks the boxes, providing versatility, defense and, at least for now, a bit more with the bat than anticipated.
Both players have fit perfectly in the clubhouse, as well. First baseman Freddie Freeman is among those encouraged by the bench’s early production.
“Spring training, he was like Babe Ruth,” Freeman said of Adrianza. “He was on fire in the spring just like Pablo was. They’ve just carried it over from spring training. It’s been huge. Pinch-hitting is this game, I think, is the hardest thing to do. And they’ve been able to come through for us in a big way through the first eight games so far.”
The Braves have fared exceptionally well in unearthing unheralded contributors in recent seasons. Matt Joyce, Charlie Culberson, Adeiny Hechavarria and Billy Hamilton are among those who come to mind. It’s early, but the Braves might have done it again to begin 2021.
Wherever it goes from here, what a six-week run for Adrianza.
“It’s an accomplishment,” he said. “I’ve been living here now for like eight years, so it’s very important for me and my family to become a U.S. citizen. It’s a nice place to live and it’s a country with a lot of opportunities for me and my family. I’m glad to be a U.S. citizen.”
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