The Braves have not released a schedule for Arcia, who does not require surgery. As of now, we don’t know how long Atlanta will be without him.
“I wouldn’t dare second guess,” Braves manager Brian Snicker said. “Everyone responds differently to all injuries, whether it’s a tilted hamstring, a broken bone or something else. Everyone’s different. They’ll just treat him. It’ll probably be 10 days before they look at him again and see where he is.”
On a Monday evening in spring training, the Braves selected Grissom and Braden Shewmake at Triple-A. Grissom played well in the spring, but the Braves felt more comfortable with Arcia as the starting shortstop.
The question became: When will we see Grissom with the big club?
he is back.
“It feels good,” Grissom said. “Obviously (the stink) is what happened to (Orlando), because he was playing his part. He was really. He was doing his job. But time calls, and whatever happens, happens. You just have to show up. That’s all you can do.”
In his first major league game of the season, Grissom went 1-for-4 with a scoring double as the Braves beat the Royals 10-3 on Friday. He had a defensive adventure night.
In the first half, he pumped one pitcher twice, probably because Matt Olson wasn’t already in the bag. (In fairness to Olson, he ran as fast as he could.) In the same inning, as the Braves tried to circle the second, Grissom’s throw sailed past Charlie Morton at first base. Later, the official scorer charged Morton with a foul, as the ball went right in front of him.
In the third, Grissom fouled a ball that hit him directly. But later in the inning, he slipped and threw first for the final out.
Asked what Grissom has to take away from this game, Snitker said: “Just knowing he’s going to play (Saturday). That’s the most important thing. He’s going to be back there (Saturday), just go play his game.”
Arcia, who was playing really well, took a 98mph fastball on the wrist. The x-rays were negative, but a CT scan and MRI revealed a microfracture, which will need time to heal.
“Originally we thought maybe it was just a precaution, just peace of mind for him, and then they discovered the little microcrack,” Snicker said. “I hate it. I hate it for him. He’s playing so well, and he’s doing a great job for us.”
That’s what created an opportunity for Grissom, who can now show the Braves why he’s the man for the job.
In 41 at bats at Triple-A Gwinnett before joining the Braves, Grissom hit . 366 with a 1.043 OPS. He had two doubles, two triples, a home run and four RBIs.
f strikes? Only four of them. He has walked six times.
But enough about the bat. The Braves want to see how Grissom plays defense. his defensive ability where they had questions. With Arcia out, Grissom can prove he can do the job at a high level if he does all the routine plays, and some tough plays.
Asked if the details he worked on with Washington during the offseason had become muscle memory, Grissom said: “A lot of it just comes with repetition. Early in the spring it was kind of weird because you haven’t seen a bat in months.” “Just getting out there and seeing the ball off the bat, eventually it just gets caught in the right channel. You just start moving off instinct and things like that. In the beginning maybe I was thinking about that. We’ve done a lot of work this season and you want To be prepared, but the truth is, you didn’t see a ball off the bat, you saw it from Wash Fongo (the bat) when I told you a backhand was coming.”
Can Grissom usurp Arcia if he performed exceptionally while Arcia was injured? maybe. It’s hard to imagine, because Arcia played very well. He did nothing to give the Braves any pause on their decision to make him the starting shortstop.
Before breaking his wrist, Arcia was 15-for-45 with two doubles, two homers and 7 RBIs to start the season. This was a really good production from a batsman from the bottom of the order. He also played a formidable defense.
For now, the point is: Arcia’s injury, unfortunate that may be, is giving Grissom a chance to shine. This is his chance, and it comes sooner than he expected.
At the Gwinnett Stripers’ media day, Grissom said he was “not really surprised” by the outcome of starting competitive shortstop in spring training. But he went through camp thinking it was going to be the starting point (just to give himself the optimal mindset).
He did everything he could in the camp. Knowing that helped him relax when the season started at Gwinnett.
“Yeah, it was a little quieter,” Grissom said. “But I still knew there was still some seafood to be done. It was flattering to know I did decent enough, but you can’t just be fit. You have to really play (your ass) to stick with teams like that. Just Knowing that helped a lot.”
And now, Grissom has to show everyone, including the Braves, why he deserves the job.
Injury updates
Snitker was asked if he could move reporters through updates on his injured players.
“Do we have enough time?” joked.
Max Fried (left hamstring strain): When asked if it was realistic to think Fried could be back on Monday or Tuesday in San Diego, Snicker seemed to think it could. Fried would come down the mound, cover first base and do the other parts of his position. The good news is he kept his arm going. “Of all his stuff he came out really well,” said Snicker.
Michael Harris II (lower back strain): Harris, who qualifies for a return April 17 in San Diego, is on a road trip. Snitker said Harris will not increase his baseball activities until the back is pain-free. “It’s just that when he doesn’t feel anything in his rehab and everything, then they help him,” he said. Snicker said the reporting on Harris is good.
Travis D’Arno (concussion): It looks like D’Arno isn’t on the flight, or at least this leg of it. The manager said Dar Arnaud looked good. “It takes time with something like this,” he added. D’Arnaud is eligible to return on Sunday, but it’s safe to assume he won’t be activated in the coming days.
Colin McHugh (Right Shoulder Sore): McHugh is on a road trip. May deliver a working session on Saturday. “It feels great,” Snicker said. McHugh can be activated on April 21st.
Raisel Iglesias (sore right shoulder): Iglesias can return when he’s ready, but he must perform all steps in his throwing program. It feels good, though. “You can’t rush this stuff with him,” Snicker said. “He will have to go through (the steps of) aspects, lives, roles.”
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