Atlanta Braves weigh new options for shortstop with Andrelton Simmons and Jack Wilson injured-MLB
Concerns about the shortstop position increased for the Atlanta Braves as they lose another player namely Jack Wilson to injury. On Friday, Wilson was included in the line-up after rigorous consultation within the team staff.
Unfortunately, just when the Braves could feel comfortable for having announced a replacement of Andrelton Simmons at the shortstop position, they found Wilson also getting injured.
Atlanta will be reviewing new options now. They cannot rely on players that are not accustomed to fielding at this position. As they called an otherwise left-fielder Martin Prado to man this position on Friday, it is certainly not a long-term solution. Therefore,
one cannot rule out the possibility that the Braves will consider trade options now.
However, first and foremost priority by the management will be to look for Minor League prospects and find an appropriate replacement. As the manager stated earlier, various options in Triple-A are under the scanner. However, it is not clear as how effective
they can be, considering the pressure cooker games ahead in the season.
Talking about the most unexpected event that happened in the game on Friday, the Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez was of the view that after Simmons had been injured, watching Wilson meet the same fate was the last thing they wanted.
"Well, the worst-case scenario happened," said manager Fredi Gonzalez.
Meanwhile, commenting on the injury by Simmons, Gonzalez tried to avert complacency, stating that teams face such times when their important players are out, but only those clubs get through that remain determined under all circumstances.
“The big kick in the stomach was Sunday losing [Andrelton] Simmons,” Gonzalez said. “It happens to everybody, everybody has injuries through the course of the year. I’ve always said that the teams that can survive those injuries are going to be there at
the end. We’ll just keep plugging away.”
Therefore, it is going to be interesting to see how the Braves will cope with the situation.
Furthermore, they will be aware of the fact that finding a player who can make plays on the field as well as contribute offensively is difficult. In case they are unable to achieve this from their new shortstop, certainly their performance will suffer.
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