Braves' Jace Peterson: Bumped to utility role after Phillips trade

Peterson will begin the season on the Braves' bench following the acquisition of Brandon Phillips, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

He was already going to have to compete with Sean Rodriguez for playing time at second base, but after Rodriguez's shoulder injury led to the trade for Phillips, the depth chart at the keystone got shaken up. Peterson saw brief action last season in the outfield and one game at third base, but should transition into a utility role on a full-time basis in 2017.