The Braves’ latest move at shortstop came during Monday’s off day, when the club optioned rookie infielder Jim Jarvis to Triple-A Gwinnett. Outfielder Brewer Hicklen is still on the active roster after serving as the 27th man for Sunday’s Little League Classic matchup with Milwaukee.
For now, that decision points the position back to Mauricio Dubón. As Jesús Cano of The Athletic noted, Jarvis being sent down essentially leaves Dubón as the everyday shortstop.
Ha-Seong Kim is still on the roster, but he has barely been part of the mix since coming off the injured list on deadline day. He has started only twice since being reinstated, after missing almost all of July with a recurrence of his right middle finger injury. The slump at the plate has only added to the issue: Kim has not had a hit since June 3 and is 0-for-27 over his last 31 plate appearances, the longest active hitless streak in the majors.
Atlanta had turned to Jarvis when Kim was activated three weeks ago, and that move came with Jorge Mateo being released. Jarvis brought some momentum with him after a strong July, when he hit .279 with a .764 OPS in 22 games.
August has gone in the opposite direction. He managed only three hits, all singles, and three walks in 42 plate appearances, leaving him with a season line of .207/.267/.297 in 124 trips to the plate.
Defensively, he was charged with seven errors in just over 300 innings.
Dubón has already been part of Atlanta’s answer at shortstop more than once this year. His offense has been uneven, but his .268/.315/.394 line is comfortably better than what the Braves have gotten from anyone else at the position.
He also has matched his career high with 10 home runs while continuing to put the bat on the ball. In the field, he’s logged 334 2/3 innings at shortstop this season, a personal best.
The two-time Gold Glove winner has built his reputation as a utility player and generally grades out well wherever he lines up.
Ideally, Dubón would be filling a super-utility role instead of being tied to one spot. Shortstop, though, is where the need is most pressing.
He also saw time in left field this summer, but that corner now belongs to a platoon of Mike Yastrzemski and Lane Thomas. Yastrzemski’s bat has come alive this month, though his first season in Atlanta has still been a bit underwhelming.
The bigger picture around the club isn’t much cleaner. The lineup has struggled through the month, tied for 23rd in scoring, and the surging Phillies shaved the NL East lead to three games over the weekend. Atlanta has sat on top of the division since April 8.
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