Braves See Bench Battles Taking Place in Road Lineup Behind AJ Smith-Shawver
The Atlanta Braves want to see what they've got at certain positions.
Just a day after sending Luke Williams out to left field to see if he can handle the final spot on the bench as an infield/outfield flex role, the Braves are doing an even bigger test with someone who is a virtual lock to make the Opening Day roster (barring injury.)
As Atlanta sends out AJ Smith-Shawver for his spring training debut versus the Philadelphia Phillies, offseason signee Luis Guillorme gets the nod at shortstop on defense.
Here's how the Braves will line up on Wednesday in Clearwater:
CF Michael Harris II
SS Luis Guillorme
LF Jarred Kelenic
RF Jordan Luplow
DH Eli White
C Chadwick Tromp
1B Phillip Evans
3B Luke Williams
2B Alejo Lopez
It's going to be an interesting test for Guillorme, who has only 46 games of SS experience in his six season MLB tenure, including only 77 in the last two seasons.
We've discussed the potential bench configurations before, but if Guillorme can prove he's capable of getting Atlanta through the rest of a game if there's an injury to shortstop Orlando Arcia, it allows the front office to load the rest of the bench with speed (like Forrest Wall) and non-shortstop versatility (Luke Williams). Doing this allows David Fletcher to continue playing everyday in AAA Gwinnett and, hopefully, perform well enough that he's a trade target were another club need an injury replacement at shortstop.
Philadelphia, as is customary in spring training home games, is going with mostly MLB regulars in their lineup today:
LF Kyle Schwarber
C J.T. Relamuto
1B Bryce Harper
RF Nick Castellanos
3B Alec Bohm
2B Whit Merrifield
SS Edmundo Sosa
CF Johan Rojas
DH Weston Wilson
SP Tyler Phillips
How to Watch The Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, February 28th
Great news, everyone! Today's game IS being broadcast, with the Phillies broadcast partner NBCSP+ carrying the game in Philly and MLB Network having the game for those not in Philadelphia. As always, the audio broadcast is available on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PM ET.
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