The Atlanta Braves made another move to bolster their 40-man roster, announcing Tuesday that infielder Brewer Hicklen had been selected to the major league roster before being optioned back to Triple-A.
Hicklen becomes the latest position player the Braves have added to the 40-man roster to retain organizational depth. Earlier this month, the club also added outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to the roster.
Like Keirsey, this likely means that Hicklen had an opt-out in his contract. Adding him to the roster takes care of that issue.
With how he’s performed this season in Triple-A, it makes sense that the team would go to this length to retain him. In 56 games, he’s batting .316 with a .900 OPS, 11 home runs, 35 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.
He’s provided some pop along with his speed on the basepaths.
It should be noted that he only has 10 games of major league experience and 12 total at-bats. There are still some unknowns, but he’s playing well enough to potentially see what he can contribute.
Knowing that this team has experienced some injuries lately, it may not hurt to have an option who can be recalled.
At the very least, he could also provide a pinch-running option as well who the Braves could be comfortable leaving in the lineup after the fact for the remainder of a game.
