The Atlanta Braves made numerous roster moves on Saturday ahead of their game versus the Chicago Cubs. The most notable among them was the decision to promote 36-year-old utility player Sean Kazmar, whose pinch-hit appearance during the fifth inning made history -- even if he did ground into an inning-ending double play.
Kazmar hadn't played in the majors since September 23, 2008. That means it had been 12 years and 206 days since his most recent big-league appearance, which in turn was the longest stretch in between MLB games since Minnie Miñoso resurfaced in 1976 at the age of 50, according to Elias Sports.
Kazmar's absence (4,589 days) eclipsed Miñoso's (4,451) by a fair margin. Prior to Miñoso, the longest stretch between MLB appearances belonged to Satchel Paige, who made an outing as a 58-year-old in 1965, some 12 years after his last full season in the majors.
The difference between Kazmar and either Miñoso or Paige, as pointed out by ESPN's Jeff Passan, is that Kazmar played during the interim period. He had appeared in at least 50 Triple-A games in every season since, with the exception being last year. Kazmar has been a member of the Braves organization since 2013, but prior to that he suited up for three other organizations, including the Seattle Mariners and the New York Mets.
Back in 2008, Kazmar appeared in 19 contests with the San Diego Padres. He hit .205/.289/.231 in 46 plate appearances, resulting in a 48 OPS+. He was 24 years old at the time of his debut.
As for the Braves' other roster moves: they also recalled right-handed pitcher Bryse Wilson and lefty pitcher Jesse Biddle; placed left-hander Sean Newcomb and outfielder Ender Inciarte on the injured list; and optioned right-hander Kyle Wright, who started Friday's game, to the alternate site.
The Braves entered Saturday's game with a 6-8 record on the year.
