Ask, and you shall receive. Our very own Caleb Thomas recently wrote a piece suggesting the Braves give William Contreras more opportunities at the major-league level. The brother of Cubs All-Star catcher, Willson Contreras, is off to a scorching start to 2022, mashing three homers in just 19 plate appearances. However, with two more proven catchers on the roster, the path for playing time was always unclear.
That’s no longer an issue. It was initially believed Manny Piña suffered a minor injury to his wrist. I thought he would be re-activated any day now, but it appears the injury is far worse than originally expected. Brian Snitker announced today that Piña will undergo surgery and miss the rest of the season.
Manny Piña will undergo wrist surgery and miss the rest of the season
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 11, 2022
Many Braves fans probably aren’t familiar with Piña. After signing with the team this offseason to be the backup catcher, he only appeared in five games and hit a lousy .143. However, this is one of the better backup backstops in the league, so losing him for the season is a pretty big deal.
Fortunately, the Braves have a high quality third option in Contreras. You hate to see anybody go down with a serious injury, but I’m excited to see more of Contreras, and I expect the Braves to use him in many ways. They’ve tried him out in the corner outfield spots, and he can obviously be the designated hitter on any given night. There’s no reason his name shouldn’t be penciled into the lineup three to four times a week, especially if he continues raking.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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