The Braves are making another move at shortstop, and this one says plenty about where things stand.
Jim Jarvis has been optioned, and Brewer Hicklen is back on the major league roster. For Atlanta, the shortstop picture has been a mess for a while now.
Since 2024, Braves shortstops have produced just 1.3 fWAR in 1,673 plate appearances, dead last in baseball. Even the Rockies have more than double that total at 2.7.
The defense has held up reasonably well - seventh in defensive value over that span, helped by Nick Allen - but the bats have been a different story entirely. Atlanta’s shortstops have posted a 64 wRC+, a number that leaves them well below even the Guardians, Rockies, and Rays, who have lived in the low-to-mid 70s.
Jarvis had become the de facto starter against right-handers for a stretch, and for a while he looked like a nice story. He came over last year as the return for Rafael Montero, impressed in the minors, and then got a real opportunity in Atlanta in July.
He made it count with a 111 wRC+, even if the underlying indicators weren’t nearly as shiny. His .336 wOBA and .308 xwOBA were solid enough, though not exactly loud.
August, though, went the other way fast. In 42 plate appearances this month, Jarvis has a -36 wRC+ and a .208 xwOBA.
He’s still running well behind his expected production, but that expected number is rough in its own right. Add in defense that was above average without being airtight - including some mistakes on routine plays - and the result is a player with 124 big league plate appearances, a 56 wRC+, and -0.1 fWAR.
That likely opens the door for Mauricio Dubon to get a longer look at shortstop. There’s also a chance Ha-Seong Kim finally gets some run, though that would depend on how seriously the Braves are treating their recent slump and the hit it has taken to their division odds.
If they care, Kim sounds like too much of a gamble. If they don’t, the whole thing gets a little strange.
Dubon hasn’t exactly been mashing either, with roughly eight weeks of combined xwOBA under .300, but that still lives in a very different place than Jarvis’s near-.200 territory.
Hicklen is back after continuing to pound International League pitching. The journeyman outfielder put up a 130 wRC+ for Triple-A Gwinnett before Atlanta brought him up shortly before the All-Star Break.
In 23 plate appearances, he hit extremely well, posting a .457 wOBA and 192 wRC+, with a .354 xwOBA backing it up just enough to suggest there was at least some real production there. He was sent back down when the Braves needed roster space - or, more accurately, when they chose to clear space for other players at Hicklen’s expense.
Since that option, Hicklen has kept hitting at Gwinnett, putting up a 143 wRC+. With Lane Thomas now in the mix, he probably won’t be in the starting lineup, and it’s not exactly clear how many at-bats he’ll get unless an outfielder needs a day off. But he’s back on the bench, and for now that’s enough to get him back in the dugout.
In Other News...
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Through 15 games, Beck has posted a .367/.424/.467 line and already has his first professional home run, a quick answer to some of the noise that followed draft night. Scouts have liked the aggressive approach at the plate and the speed he brings on the bases, while also pointing to areas where he can keep growing, including outfield defense and power. For now, though, the early returns have been enough to make the Braves' decision look a lot more interesting than it did in July. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Will See A Familiar Face In Atlanta For This One
The Braves added a little extra intrigue to their Little League Classic matchup with the Brewers by recalling outfielder Brewer Hicklen as an additional player. For Hicklen, a nine-year minor league veteran who made his big league debut in 2022, the moment carries an obvious personal angle too, since he grew up rooting for Atlanta and said he was grateful for the chance to suit up for his favorite team.
Atlanta could use a lift in any form right now, and Hicklens arrival at least gives the club a fresh body and a fresh story as it tries to steady itself. The setting in Williamsport already brings a different feel to the night, and now the Braves get to see whether a longtime organization follower can turn a dream assignment into something more meaningful in the middle of a difficult stretch. [Read more 🡒]