Atlanta Braves release Adonis Garcia to pursue other opportunities

In an anticipated move, the Atlanta Braves have released third baseman Adonis Garcia, to allow him to pursue opportunities in the Korean Baseball League.

Adonis Garcia had become a key part of the Atlanta Braves lineup. The former Cuban star had carved out a role in the starting lineup, appearing in 134 games in 2016. That season, in his 563 plate appearances, he produced a solid .273/.311/.406 batting line, hitting 14 homers and 29 doubles. He may not have been a power hitter at the hot corner, but he provided the Braves with another solid bat in the lineup.

Last season, however, everything came apart. Garcia was unable to get going with the bat, and missed a large portion of the year due to a finger injury. It resulted in a campaign he would likely rather forget, as Garcia produced a .237/.273/.347 batting line, hitting only five homers in his 183 plate appearances. Garcia was still expected to be an important piece on the Braves heading into the 2018 campaign. However, that will not be the case. Atlanta has released Garcia, allowing him to pursue his desire to play in South Korea.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

This decision does put the Braves in a bit of a bind when it comes to third for the coming season. Johan Camargo is likely to start at third now, with Rio Ruiz the only other third baseman on the 40 man roster. Unless, of course, one wants to consider Freddie Freeman‘s 16 games at the hot corner as enough to make him a viable option.

None of these options are exactly proven. Freeman played relatively well at third, costing the Braves only one run, but he is far more valuable at first. Camargo produced a decent .299/.331/.452 batting line with four homers and 21 doubles in 256 plate appearances, but he may be more valuable as a utility infielder. Ruiz, formerly considered a worthwhile prospect with the Astros, struggled in his time in the majors last season. In his 173 plate appearances, Ruiz had a .193/.283/.307 batting line, with only nine extra base hits.

With Atlanta still in the midst of their rebuild, it may make the most sense to see what they have in Camargo and Ruiz. While players like Todd Frazier would make sense, at least in theory, it would come down to whether or not the Braves feel they can contend. Meanwhile, Camargo and Ruiz would give the Braves far less expensive options as they look to bridge the time until Austin Riley is ready.

Next: Making the Braves contenders with $35 million

The Atlanta Braves have released Adonis Garcia to allow him to pursue opportunities in South Korea. Meanwhile, their internal options for third base are fairly limited.