Braves activate Garcia, call up M. Johnson

Camargo plays 1 more rehab game; Santana 'iffy' to return

September 4th, 2017

ATLANTA -- With a steady stream of names joining expanded Major League rosters, the Braves added two more players on Monday, activating third baseman/outfielder from the 10-day disabled list and calling up utility man from Triple-A Gwinnett.
Perhaps more interesting were two names who weren't added to the roster: infielder and utility man Danny Santana.
Both players were expected to be added to the roster with Garcia and Johnson on Monday but were not for different reasons.
For Camargo, who was sidlelined by a right knee bone bruise, the Braves decided to have him play one more game with Triple-A.
"We had him play in another game," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "Just talking to [Triple-A manager Damon Berryhill] yesterday, kind of rusty. We just went ahead and ran the gambit on him, played shortstop today just to get him another one."
Camargo will be with the Major League team on Tuesday.

When he is activated, don't expect him to challenge fellow rookie for much playing time at third base. While Ruiz's recent surge -- hitting .455 with a homer and a 1.273 OPS in three games since being recalled from Triple-A -- makes things complicated, Camargo's knee isn't healthy enough to withstand playing every day.
With the Minor League seasons ending Monday, there isn't a way to get Camargo more rehab time, so he'll be used primarily in defensive replacement situations with the occasional start.
"He's just going to be worked in," Snitker said. "He's not physically able to probably go out and play five days in a row, three days in a row. So probably just pick and choose. There's going to be no structure. He'll get time at the end of a game, double-switches and defensive moves and stuff like that, pinch-hitting."
Camargo isn't the only September callup dealing with some lingering injury effects. Santana, who also was supposed to be called up Monday, is now "iffy" to get activated at all, according to Snitker.
Santana exited his second rehab appearance on Sunday with an issue with his quad. Snitker said if Santana is able to return, it would be in a limited capacity.
Garcia won't be inclined physically for an everyday role, either. He missed nearly three full months recovering from a torn ligament in his hand that required surgery.
Much like the wrist weakness that first baseman Freddie Freeman is dealing with, Garcia doesn't have all of his strength back in his hand and won't until he's able to go through a full offseason of rest and rehab.
"He's starting over, pretty much," Snitker said. "He was down so long and really didn't have enough Minor League rehabilitation to really get his body in condition to play a whole lot. So it'll be sparingly, but he played left, right and third base in his limited rehab that he did have. ... I would probably venture to say his strength in his hand is probably about 80 percent."
Worth noting
• Catcher Tyler Flowers may return sooner than initially thought. He's been out since Aug. 30 with multiple bruises in his hand and wrist, but he was already able to return to throwing on Monday. Snitker indicated that he might be able to swing a bat soon.
"He's, in talking to [head team physician Dr. Gary Lourie], coming around a little quicker than what he thought he might with all the bruising and everything he had," Snitker said. "So I'd say we'll see him sooner more than later out here, probably hitting a little bit."