Kyle Wright, right-hander for the Atlanta Braves, expressed confidence in his pitching shoulder after his first Grapefruit League start. Wright had stopped throwing for three weeks during the offseason after receiving a cortisone injection in his shoulder in January. Although he allowed five hits, two of which were home runs, and four runs over 2⅔ innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wright said his shoulder felt great. He is expected to make one more Grapefruit League start, then remain in Florida to pitch in a minor league game after the Braves break camp next week. Wright expressed confidence that he will be ready to pitch for Atlanta at St. Louis in the team’s second series of the regular season.
In other Braves news, top prospects Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake were optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, paving the way for Orlando Arcia to take over as the Braves’ likely starting shortstop. Grissom had a great game during the 6-5 exhibition win against the Tampa Bay Rays, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, raising his batting average to .371 in 12 games this spring. Arcia made only one appearance at shortstop for the Braves last season, starting 43 games at second base and hitting .244 in 67 games overall.
Swanson, who left the Braves during the offseason for a $177 million, seven-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, had been the starting shortstop for the Braves since 2016, hitting .255 in 827 games over eight seasons.
The Atlanta Braves have made some surprising moves, announcing that top prospects Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake were optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Monday, paving the way for Orlando Arcia to take over as the Braves’ likely starting shortstop. Grissom, who had been widely expected to replace Dansby Swanson as the starting shortstop, had a great game during the 6-5 exhibition win against the Tampa Bay Rays, going 3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored, raising his batting average to .371 in 12 games this spring.
Arcia, on the other hand, made only one appearance at shortstop for the Braves last season, starting 43 games at second base and hitting .244 in 67 games overall. Arcia was last the primary shortstop for the Milwaukee Brewers, where he started 59 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before being traded to the Braves in April.
The 22-year-old Grissom made his Major League debut last season, hitting .291 with five home runs and 18 RBIs in 41 games for the Braves. He started 39 games at second base and one at shortstop. Arcia and Grissom were primarily used at second base last year because Ozzie Albies missed much of the season due to two injuries, a broken foot and finger.
Shewmake, a first-round pick by the Braves in the 2019 amateur draft, is still waiting to make his Major League debut.
Swanson, who left the Braves during the offseason for a $177 million, seven-year deal with the Chicago Cubs, had been the starting shortstop for the Braves since 2016, hitting .255 in 827 games over eight seasons. He hit .277 while playing in 162 games last season.
In other Braves news, right-hander Kyle Wright, who was baseball’s only 20-game winner last season, made his first Grapefruit League start during the win over the Rays. Wright had stopped throwing for three weeks during the offseason after receiving a cortisone injection in his shoulder in January. He allowed five hits, two of which were home runs, and four runs over 2⅔ innings against Tampa Bay before being taken off the field after 49 pitches. Wright acknowledged that he didn’t perform well, but stated that he was making adjustments during the outing when he didn’t have any strikeouts or walks.
Kyle Wright, right-hander for the Atlanta Braves, expressed confidence in his pitching shoulder after his first Grapefruit League start. Wright had stopped throwing for three weeks during the offseason after receiving a cortisone injection in his shoulder in January. Although he allowed five hits, two of which were home runs, and four runs over 2⅔ innings against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wright said his shoulder felt great. He is expected to make one more Grapefruit League start, then remain in Florida to pitch in a minor league game after the Braves break camp next week. Wright expressed confidence that he will be ready to pitch for Atlanta at St. Louis in the team’s second series of the regular season.
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