The Braves optioned rookie infielder Jim Jarvis to Triple-A Gwinnett during Monday’s off day. Outfielder Brewer Hicklen remains on the active roster after being appointed the 27th man for the Little League Classic against Milwaukee on Sunday.
As Jesús Cano of The Athletic observes, this essentially locks Mauricio Dubón in as the everyday shortstop for the time being. Ha-Seong Kim remains on the active roster but has drawn a total of two starts since being reinstated from the injured list on deadline day. Kim missed almost all of July with a recurrence of his right middle finger injury and hasn’t recorded a hit since June 3. He’s 0-27 in his past 31 plate appearances, the longest active hitless streak in the majors.
The Braves named Jarvis their starting shortstop when they activated Kim three weeks ago, releasing Jorge Mateo in the process. The 25-year-old was coming off a solid July in which he’d hit .279 with a .764 OPS in 22 games. Jarvis has had a rough August, collecting just three hits (all singles) and three walks across 42 plate appearances. That has dropped his season batting line to .207/.267/.297 across 124 trips to the dish. He’s also been charged with seven errors in a little over 300 innings.
Atlanta’s revolving door at shortstop has circled back to Dubón a couple times. The switch-hitter has had some ups and downs offensively, but his league average .268/.315/.394 line is far better than what any other Atlanta shortstop has provided this year. Dubón has matched his career high with 10 home runs while continuing to make a ton of contact. This season’s 334 2/3 innings at shortstop are already a personal high. He’s a two-time Gold Glove winner in a utility capacity who tends to grade well defensively wherever he plays.
Dubón would ideally be in a super-utility role rather than locked into any specific position. Shortstop is the most acute need. Dubón got a decent amount of left field run this summer. Mike Yastrzemski and Lane Thomas are platooning there now. While Yastrezmski’s bat has picked up this month, he’s had a slightly disappointing first season in Atlanta. The lineup as a whole has had a tough month, tying for 23rd in scoring. The red hot Phillies closed the gap in the NL East to three games over the weekend. Atlanta has been atop the division since April 8.
