Update: The Braves have optioned Lane Adams to make room for Danny Santana. Emilio Bonifacio remains on the 25-man roster.
Santana is a switch hitter who can play SS and CF. To make room, the Braves optioned Lane Adams and moved Micah Johnson to the 60-day DL
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) May 8, 2017
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The Atlanta Braves are “off” on Monday but that has not stopped the front office from maneuvering. First, the Braves parted ways with former All-Star first baseman Ryan Howard, concluding a short experiment that could have netted Atlanta with an upgrade on its bench if all went according to plan.
Then, just moments later, the club announced a trade that will bring versatile 26-year-old Danny Santana to Atlanta in exchange for Kevin Chapman and cash considerations.
The #Braves have acquired INF/OF Danny Santana from the Twins in exchange for LHP Kevin Chapman and cash considerations. Details: pic.twitter.com/KCNdsF9aDq
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) May 8, 2017
Santana is best known for his performance in 2014, in which he hit .319/.353/.472 over 430 plate appearances (101 games) for Minnesota. Aside from that, however, the utility man has not produced at a fantastic level, with a career slash line of .266/.300/.381 across 280 games and 981 plate appearances.
Still, this is a potential uptick for a bench that is in desperate need and Santana might serve as an eventual replacement for a struggling Emilio Bonifacio. In exchange, Atlanta sends Chapman, a 29-year-old left-hander currently working in Gwinnett, back to the Twins and this is a small price to pay for what could aid in strengthening the (very) weak corps of reserves.
Danny Santana isn’t a player that will move the needle considerably but, at his best, he was very useful and the Braves will look to recapture that in short order. Stay tuned.