Eli White making most of Braves opportunity, but Ronald Acuña Jr. will be back

Sports

add

ATLANTA — It’s been the most impressive stretch of Atlanta Braves outfielder Eli White’s major-league career, the best time of his professional life, a period when he’s played so well that a journeyman label doesn’t seem to fit quite like it did previously.

“Yeah, it’s been special,” said White, who had seven extra-base hits, including two homers and 12 RBIs, during an eight-game hitting streak that ended Friday in a 2-1 series-opening loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. “It’s kind of been, I feel like, a long time coming.”

But it’s been barely more than a week.

And White, 30, knows the guy whose spot he’s keeping warm, Ronald Acuña Jr., is expected back from the injured list in May. No matter what White has done or will do until then, Acuña will be the right fielder once activated.

So, when Acuña returns after rehab from knee surgery, whither White?

“I try not to think about it (but) obviously, I have,” said White, who made his eighth consecutive start Friday (six in right field, two in left when Alex Verdugo had rest days). “I’m just trying to make the most of the opportunities I get while I’ve got them, and then see what happens.

“There’s a lot that I can’t control. Obviously, Acuña is going to be in the lineup as soon as he gets back. So, I’m just trying to do what I can and carve a role for myself going forward, whatever that looks like.”

Eli White keeps thriving as a late bloomer. As manager Brian Snitker said, “You never know when these guys might click.” (Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)

The degree to which White has elevated his stock is apparent by the fact the Braves optioned to Triple A both players who began the season in a right-field platoon, Jarred Kelenic and Bryan De La Cruz.

The team did that despite losing Opening Day left fielder Jurickson Profar to an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension four days into the season.

De La Cruz was optioned when Verdugo joined the Braves. The New York Yankees claimed De La Cruz on Thursday after the Braves quietly designated him for assignment.

With Verdugo in left and Kelenic struggling mightily, White got a shot and made the most of the opportunity. He’s played so well offensively and defensively that Kelenic was optioned after the Braves signed aging outfielder Eddie Rosario on Monday to serve as a backup outfielder for the immediate future.

As a result, White’s getting his first extended playing time since 2022, when he was a Texas Rangers regular before season-ending June surgery for a fractured wrist.

Unlike in 2022, when he hit .200 with a .578 OPS before the surgery, this time White’s thriving. He’s batting .292 with a .909 OPS in 52 plate appearances in the 20 games in which he’s batted, including 13 outfield starts.

“I’ve said, you never know when these guys might click,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker, who has seen plenty of players make significant improvement relatively late in their careers. “You look at Eli, and if somebody shaved the beard and told you he’s 22, you could believe them.

“I mean, it’s a young body, and the skills that he has … it’s great. Those are great stories when guys earn time and get a chance to play, and hopefully, he’s figured it out. Because he can bring a lot, as we’ve seen, and help us.”

White said he’s continued to improve and had one of his best seasons last year in Triple A, hitting .294 with eight homers and an .835 OPS in 79 games while displaying elite speed with 24 stolen bases in 26 attempts.

Still, the South Carolina native and former Clemson standout turned 30 last summer and was doing that in Triple A against prospects and journeymen. Did he ever start to think he might never get another opportunity to play regularly in the majors?

“Yeah, there are definitely those thoughts,” said White, who had a .203 average and .608 OPS in 193 major-league games across six seasons before Friday. “I feel like I’ve kind of been a late bloomer in my career in some ways. The past five years, I’ve dealt with some injuries that cut seasons short and kind of missed some opportunities. But I really feel like I’m still getting better every year.

“But there have been those thoughts, where just trying to make the team has been the big thing and not really knowing what my role is going to be. To get the opportunity to play and get in a little rhythm has been a lot of fun for me.”

Major leaguers will tell you that coming off the bench, pinch hitting or playing once or twice a week is the hardest job in baseball. It’s difficult to get into a routine and build confidence while getting sporadic playing time, knowing that if you don’t produce, you might be sent back to Triple A or get buried on the bench.

After White hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning of a 4-1 win against the St. Louis Cardinals on April 23, Snitker kept him in the lineup for the next game at Arizona, and White had two hits, including a double and two RBIs in an 8-2 win.

He hasn’t been out of the lineup since.

“It definitely builds confidence knowing that they believe in me and they believe in me to help the team win,” White said. “Because this is a really good team, and to be in the lineup with this team shows a lot. You’re not going to be there if you can’t perform.

“So, yeah, it’s shown that they’ve got some trust in me, just giving me a little leeway and giving me opportunities to play.”

Snitker has said the Braves’ improvement began after Verdugo arrived. But he said Friday that White’s all-around performance has been another major factor. Atlanta won five of the past seven with White in the lineup before Friday, it they had just two hits, including a Matt Olson homer.

“He’s another reason that we’ve been playing better,” Snitker said of White. “Whether it’s defense, running the bases, hitting; he’s had really good at-bats. And hopefully, he can keep it up. Because there are a lot of skills in there, and he can help you win a ballgame in a lot of different ways.”

White said he’s learned to compartmentalize.

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he said. “I’ve been in this situation pretty much my whole big-league career, where it’s like I’m just fighting for the next day. So, I’ve gotten kind of good at just staying in the moment, and just controlling what I can control and trying not to worry about what I can’t.”

Acuña hasn’t begun a minor-league rehab assignment, so it would appear White will have at least a few more weeks to prove that he is capable of handling regular duties.

“That’s why we’re playing him every day, to see,” Snitker said of White, who can play all three outfield spots and also impressed with his infield skills during spring training. “You just never know going forward what’s going to happen. But you see a guy like him and what he’s done. It’s hard not to pull for a guy like that.”

At every opportunity, teammates praise White and say how glad they are to see him get a chance. No one works harder or is more deserving, said Braves ranging from young center fielder Michael Harris II to veteran pitcher Chris Sale.

Snitker said White is an example for others in the organization.

“I think guys that are grinding in the minor leagues see that,” Snitker said, “that a guy goes about it like he does, and the teammate and the person that he is. … I think that teammates pull for him as much as anybody does. I’m happy as heck for Eli.”

White has seen and heard the comments from teammates and from Snitker, and he said it’s made the best time of his major-league career that much better.

“It’s definitely gratifying that guys know that I’ve kind of been grinding and that they’re just excited for me to get the opportunity and have some success,” White said. “So, yeah, it’s cool. And it does make me feel good to know that, you know, I haven’t been a turd when I haven’t been playing. Which is something.

“I mean obviously, I want to be a good dude, good teammate and all that, first and foremost. So, it’s cool to see the guys be excited for me, for the opportunity I’m getting.”

(Top photo of Eli White: David J. Griffin / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Caitlin Clark injury update: Indiana Fever gives bad news about its star

Agency_SAM

Next

trending_flat

Valladolid x Barcelona: onde assistir ao vivo ao jogo do Campeonato Espanhol

O Globo