Injuries have begun to pile up for the Atlanta Braves, and with two more in Friday’s game against the Cubs it seems the Braves are turning to a surprising source to fill out the roster. According to this Jeff Passan tweet the Braves will be calling up long time Braves minor league infielder Sean Kazmar for his first shot at big league action since 2008.
One of the coolest things I’ve seen in baseball in a very long time is happening today: Infielder Sean Kazmar Jr. is being called up by Atlanta, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 17, 2021
Sean Kazmar is a name that Gwinnett Braves/Stripers fans have come to know well as he has spent seven seasons with the team since 2013 with 667 games played for them. He is the team’s all time leader in games played and hits and had a strong spring with Atlanta posting a 1.415 OPS in 29 plate appearances and slugging three home runs. Kazmar can play all four infield positions to some extent and has played very limited time in the outfield. Now 36, Kazmar is going to experience a moment 13 years in the making after being a consistent presence watching Braves prospects come up for nearly a decade.
Sean Kazmar, who hasn’t played in the majors since 2008, had himself a day.
— Cory McCartney (@coryjmccartney) February 28, 2021
Sat down with him back in the Chopcast days about his career, place @GoStripers’ leader in almost everything. #Braves
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This news does, however, point to one very bad bit of news as it means that one or both of Ender Inciarte and Ozzie Albies are set to hit the Injured List to make room for this promotion. For a team already struggling with injuries and inconsistent offensive performance, losing either player who has contributed to this team this season is another blow to lead off a tough April for Atlanta. For Kazmar, I would expect this to be more of a one game call up of a guy who happened to be on the taxi squad. This will allow a more permanent solution to the roster to be flown in from the alternate site. We will keep you updated with the official announcement and any injury reports going forward, and send out congratulations to Sean Kazmar for getting another chance to put on a big league uniform after so long.