Yesterday, the Braves announced some exciting news, calling up their top prospect Cristian Pache just a couple of hours before their matchup with the Nationals.
The reasoning behind the move was because Nick Markakis landed on the COVID-19 list after potentially being exposed to the virus. He has continued to test negative, but the decision was out of an abundance of caution, which is the right move considering what has happened to the Marlins and Cardinals this season. And with Ronald Acuña already on the IL, the Braves had little choice but to call up Pache.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to see him make his debut last night, but that is expected to change today. According to Jon Morosi, the Braves are planning to start the 21-year-old in left field in their rubber match with Washington.
NEWS: Cristian Pache, No. 14 on the @MLBPipeline Top 100, is likely to make his @MLB debut for the @Braves tonight, as their starting left fielder. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 19, 2020
How long Pache will stay in the bigs this year will strictly be performance-based. Even when Acuña and Markakis return, the Braves could use his bat and defense in the lineup. Ender Inciarte has been dreadful at the plate, outside of last night, and on the flip side, Ozuna’s defense has been egregious while his bat has been one of the best in the lineup. Hopefully, Pache can make an impact right away, but either way, August 19th, 2020, will likely be a fond memory for Braves Country thirty years from now.
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