TAMPA, Fla. -- Austin Riley has garnered much of the attention over the past week. But before his team suffered a 1-0 loss to the Yankees on Sunday afternoon, Braves manager Brian Snitker said he has continued to be encouraged by what he’s seen from his other third base candidate Johan Camargo.   

“He’s had a great camp,” Snitker said. “He’s done good and he’s moving around good. I see he’s carrying on what he had going on at the end of last year. He’s been good.”

Camargo went hitless in the three plate appearances he tallied on Sunday and is now 7-for-23 with a homer and a double through nine Grapefruit League games. The 26-year-old infielder is much leaner than he was last year and he appears to building on the adjustments he made after being optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett late last season.

When the Braves constructed their roster for the National League Division Series last year, Snitker did not have the option to include Camargo, who suffered a hairline fracture of his right shin on Sept. 11. The versatile infielder’s absence would not have been a big deal most of last year, compared to his 2018 campaign when he posted a .806 OPS.

Riley has gone 7-for-23 with a pair of homers through his first nine Grapefruit League games.

Last weekend, Snitker said he thinks Riley and Camargo both need to play on an everyday basis, even though that would likely mean one would be doing so at the Triple-A level. But it seemed to be manager-speak that is often heard during the early stages of a position battle.

There’s certainly reason to think Camargo would strengthen the bench if Riley eventually becomes the everyday third baseman.

Newcomb impresses
Sean Newcomb took a strong step toward securing one of the two available rotation spots on Sunday, when he blanked the Yankees over four innings. One of the three hits he surrendered was a Gio Urshela dribbler that came to rest to the right of the mound.

“He’s got a gift with that fastball,” Snitker said. “It’s hard to get ahold of him. The breaking stuff was good today and the changeup too. I really liked what I saw.”

Newcomb’s ability to more consistently locate his fastball after he was moved to the bullpen last year enhanced the value of his curveball, which also found the strike zone more consistently once he became a reliever.

Now as Newcomb attempts to prove he belongs back in the rotation, he is focused on proving he can once again be successful with his changeup. He used the pitch 19.2 percent of the time in 2018, but his usage dropped to 6.9 percent last year.

Newcomb’s top weapons will always be his four-seamer and curveball. But to find success as a starter, he will likely need to regain confidence in his changeup. Having a third pitch is important, especially one that complements the arm action of his four-seamer.

“I’m happy about being able to use the whole mix and having it all go pretty well,” said Newcomb, who has issued just two walks while limiting opponents to two runs through nine innings thus far.

Newcomb, Kyle Wright and Félix Hernández are the top candidates for two open spots in the Braves’ rotation.

Weigel progressing
Patrick Weigel would have likely already become a key piece within the Braves’ bullpen had he not undergone Tommy John surgery in 2017. But nearly two years removed from this procedure, the big right-hander is once again drawing attention from Atlanta’s coaching staff.

Weigel pitched a perfect eighth inning on Sunday, and has recorded six strikeouts while not allowing a run over his first 6 1/3 innings this spring.

“I really liked what I saw [on Sunday],” Snitker said. “I think his velocity will get back with work. With more work, his stuff is going to get better and better. I think it did today.”

Up next
Félix Hernández will extend his bid for a rotation spot when the Braves host the Red Sox on Monday at 6:05 p.m. ET. Hernández, who is competing against Sean Newcomb and Kyle Wright for the two vacancies in Atlanta's rotation, will aim to complete five innings. Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies are both expected to be in the Braves' lineup. The game can be seen live on MLB.TV.