Joc Pederson won’t start Friday’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays but he will be available off of the Atlanta Braves’ bench. Brian Snitker said during the pregame that Pederson was in route and the hope was that he would arrive in time. That is apparently the case as the team announced that Pederson has been added to the active roster. Johan Camargo was optioned to Gwinnett to open a up a spot on the active roster.
OF Joc Pederson is active for tonight’s game. In order to make room on the 26-man roster, the #Braves optioned INF/OF Johan Camargo to Triple-A Gwinnett.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 16, 2021
The Braves acquired Pederson from the Cubs Thursday night in exchange for first base prospect Bryce Ball. Alex Anthopoulos said that Pederson would slot into right field replacing Ronald Acuña Jr. who was lost for the remainder of the season last weekend with a knee injury. Snitker said Friday that he will likely use Pederson in the leadoff spot at least initially.
Atlanta is beginning a critical stretch of games with the trade deadline just two weeks away.