Ever since news broke late last night that Alex Wood would be getting called up to the big league club today, the biggest question on fans' minds was what the corresponding roster move would be. Late this afternoon, the Braves official twitter account broke the news: Juan Francisco has been designated for assignment to make room for Wood.
Francisco started the year in a platoon with Chris Johnson at third base. Despite Francisco's prodigious power from the left-hand side, he was striking out in an alarming 37.4% of his at-bats. Coupled with a wOBA of .300 and a wRC+ of 89, it's safe to say he fell short of what Atlanta envisioned for him. As the left side of the platoon, he was expected to mash against righties, but only posted a .330 wOBA against them in 98 PAs. Chris Johnson's wOBA against righties was .317, a statistically insignificant difference.
Still, this move is a bit of a surprise. With the emergence of Evan Gattis, Atlanta now carries 6 players capable of playing the outfield (J. Upton, B. Upton, Heyward, Schafer, Gattis, R. Johnson) which led some to question Reed Johnson's continued presence on the roster. With Gattis providing a solid pinch hitting option from the right side, as well as the ability to play left field, Johnson's spot on the roster seems largely superfluous.
Ostensibly, the Braves will now try to trade Francisco. If they can't get any takers, he will pass through waivers. If he goes unclaimed - which is a longshot - he can accept an assignment to AAA Gwinnett or become a free agent.