Atlanta Braves: Dansby Swanson Returns and Boosts Lineup
By Kit Anderson
The Atlanta Braves again have a fully healthy lineup with Dansby Swanson returning to the team on Saturday night. Swanson will give the Braves a much-needed lift offensively.
Dansby Swanson returned to the Atlanta Braves lineup this weekend and looked to be suffering no ill effects from his wrist injury. A healthy Dansby will be a much-needed lift for a team who needs more production from the bottom of the lineup.
So far this season the Braves starting shortstop is hitting .284 and has been playing above average defense.
His ability to get the bottom of the lineup going for the Braves has been missed. With Swanson again healthy the bottom of the lineup will look to continue the trend of feeding the top.
What made the Braves’ offense so good early this season was the fact there were no easy outs. That seemed to change when Swanson was hurt and Jose Bautista and Charlie Culberson had bigger offensive roles.
Jose has been cut and Culberson regulated back to bench duty. Swanson will pick up from where he left off and help the lineup produce from top to bottom.
This is a big season for Swanson who must recover from an ugly sophomore slump. If he can bounce back and prove he is the shortstop of the Braves future it will be a big boost for the Braves.
It will also allow the team to focus on very certain areas of their roster when this off-season comes. With only pitching and the outfield to worry about the team can chase one of the bigger names in free agency.
For now, however, Dansby Swanson is a big boost for a Braves roster who is only focused on winning now. Swanson will help them do just that as the Braves remain surprise contenders in 2018.