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Braves urged to part ways with 'unplayable' ex-Mets outfielder
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- Braves urged to part ways with 'unplayable' ex-Mets outfielder
Braves urged to part ways with 'unplayable' ex-Mets outfielder originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The gap between the Atlanta Braves and other contending NL East clubs has shrunk significantly.
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As of Monday, the Philadelphia Phillies , who got off to a horrific 9-19 start, are just two games behind the Braves. After a hot June, the Miami Marlins are just four games back of first.
After the All-Star break, Atlanta could make some adjustments to its roster to get back on track.
One of the players they could consider trading and/or cutting ties with is designated hitter/outfielder Dominic Smith , writes FanSided's Christopher Kline .
"Smith is borderline unplayable in the field, especially with almost every first base dedicated to Matt Olson . He's there to swing the bat, and right now, he's doing so in a counterproductive way," wrote Kline. "The Braves probably need to bite the bullet on the idea of Smith as a late-career breakout."
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Smith got off to a strong start in a Braves uniform, hitting .339 in April and .310 in May.
But his bat has trended in the wrong direction since then. Smith had a .508 OPS with just one home run in June, and the first few weeks of July were even worse.
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"Injuries have kept Smith locked in the DH spot, as Atlanta needs every functional right-handed bat it can get," Kline added. "However, he has a .490 OPS since the calendar flipped to June."
Combine Smith's lack of production with shortstop Ha Seong-Kim's, and the Braves have two black holes in their lineup.
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Needless to say, both players could see their way out of the door in Atlanta soon.
