At the trade deadline the Dodgers made a shocking deal, trading away prized free agent signee Hector Olivera before he had ever made a major league at-bat. The Cuban import, 30, was on the disabled list with a hamstring injury and still netted Braves left-hander Alex Wood and infield prospect Jose Peraza. A recent update on Olivera’s hamstring makes the move look more sensible.
Olivera was raking in the minors, but seemed blocked by what the Dodgers already had at the MLB level at shortstop (Jimmy Rollins), second base (Howie Kendrick) and third base (Justin Turner). Olivera came to the U.S. with elbow problems and defensive questions, so shortstop was a stretch regardless of how much Rollins’ bat has declined. Kendrick and Turner are simply playing too well to move aside for a new player to make his debut.
Olivera was crushing the ball at Double-A, slashing .318/.400/.455 in seven games before quickly getting promoted to Triple-A. In eight games there, Olivera improved, slashing .387/.387/.581. Then he went down with a bad hammy and it’s taking longer than expected to clear up.
In his stead the Braves have run Adonis Garcia out to the hot corner, and in 14 games he’s batted just .220 with four home runs and six RBIs. The Braves are expected to promote Olivera to the big leagues quickly when he’s ready to play and get to reaping the rewards on their new acquisition, to whom they owe $35.2 million through 2020.
For more content, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN or LIKE US on Facebook
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.