LAKELAND, Fla. -- Though Adam Duvall’s Grapefruit League batting average mirrors the one he produced during the two frustration-filled months spent with the Braves last year, the quality of his plate appearances has improved his bid to begin the upcoming season on Atlanta’s bench.

After recording a single in three at-bats during Saturday afternoon’s 6-4 win over the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium, Duvall found himself with a .190 (4-for-21) batting average. The former All-Star has homered twice, drawn five walks and struck out just twice over 26 plate appearances. His .822 OPS certainly looks better than the abysmal .344 mark he produced in the 57 plate appearances tallied after being traded from Cincinnati to Atlanta before last year’s Trade Deadline.  

“The at-bats are better,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “There are a lot of positives. I’m hoping we can get him some consistent at-bats and get him on a little roll, where he can build his confidence, timing and everything.”

The fact Duvall has logged more plate appearances than any Braves player not named Austin Riley is a product of the team’s desire to give him every chance to prove he is worth the $2.875 million-dollar salary attached to the non-guaranteed contract he was given as an arbitration-eligible player.  

If the Braves choose to release Duvall before Opening Day, they would be responsible for just 45 days’ termination pay, which would equate to approximately $692,000. But for now, they are hoping to strengthen their bench with the kind of power potential and plus defense he can provide at each of the outfield positions.  

“I’m going to let him play,” Snitker said. “This guy has been working his butt off every day. Game at-bats [are] what he needs. He doesn’t need practice. I’m killing him and he feels good about it.”  

More inconsistency
Sean Newcomb needed just six pitches to complete a perfect first inning against the Tigers Saturday. But he issued a pair of walks in the second inning and retired just two of the five batters faced during the third inning.  

“He was a little erratic,” Snitker said. “He has those days. He couldn’t get his secondary stuff going. He had a hard time hitting with his fastball. It’s one of those things where every now and then he’s going to be like that.”

Christin Stewart’s two-run double ended the outing for Newcomb, who surrendered three hits and issued three walks while allowing three runs over 2 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old southpaw struggled to get a consistent feel for his curveball, a pitch that often plagued him as he posted a 3.91 ERA over 30 starts last year. 

“I was in a groove early and then once I got a little deeper in my pitch count, I felt a little out of sync,” Newcomb said. “It was just normal Spring Training kind of stuff.” 

Viz update
Spring Training will not give the Braves a chance to get a good feel for how durable Arodys Vizcaino’s right shoulder will be when he’s asked to handle a normal regular-season workload. But they are keeping a close watch on the health of the troublesome shoulder, which forced the closer to miss most of last season’s final three months.  

Vizcaino’s four-seam fastball touched 95 mph during his spring debut on Sunday, but it sat between 93-94 mph as he completed a scoreless inning in Saturday’s win.  

“I just want to make sure he’s not guarding anything,” Snitker said. “I think when the lights come on, his velocity is going to be there. I like where it’s at right now. He threw some good breaking balls today. He’s been fine. He’s been good for me.”  

Snitker plans to use matchups and recent workloads to determine whether to use Vizcaino or A.J. Minter as his closer on a game-to-game basis. Minter has not been cleared to pitch since experiencing left shoulder tightness following a car accident last week, but the Braves remain confident he’ll be ready for the start of the regular season.  

Up next
Ozzie Albies will be in the lineup and Julio Teheran will make his second Grapefruit League start when the Braves travel to Jupiter to play the Marlins Sunday at 1:05 p.m. ET. With Mike Foltynewicz recovering from a sore right elbow, there is a chance Teheran will be given his sixth consecutive Opening Day start.