The Atlanta Braves will enter play on Friday with a 1.5-game lead over the New York Mets in the National League East. The Braves have won five consecutive and employ various exciting young players, including infielder Ozzie Albies, who already has 10 home runs this season.
Yet the news on Friday concerning the Braves centered around a 37-year-old at the end of his career. That's because José Bautista, formerly of the Toronto Blue Jays, is set to join the big-league roster in time for their series against the San Francisco Giants:
Jose Bautista is expected to join the Braves' lineup tonight. Bautista went 6-for-15 with a double and a homer over the past four games with Gwinnett.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 4, 2018
Bautista signed a minor-league deal with the Braves a few weeks back, and has since appeared in 12 games, where he's hit .256/.396/.372 with a home run. In recent years, Bautista has been deployed mostly as an outfielder. All of his appearances this season, however, have come as a third baseman, suggesting the Braves are earnest in giving him a look-see at the hot corner.
Ultimately, Bautista's bat will determine how long he remains in Atlanta. Last season he hit .203/.308/.366 (76 OPS+) for the Jays. He'd consistently been an above-average hitter before then, so the Braves are hoping for some kind of a bounceback.
It's worth noting the Braves had received surprising production from their incumbent third-base option, Ryan Flaherty, who entered Friday batting .310/.406/.437. Flaherty seems unlikely to continue that pace based on career numbers suggesting he's a poor hitter.
