Brian Snitker doesn't want to think about any upcoming roster decisions, just the ones he has to make now.
"We'll worry about tomorrow tomorrow. Beyond that, there's no reason worrying about things," the Braves manager said.
It could be on April 14, it could be well beyond that. But the time will inevitably come when Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves will call-up outfield phenom Ronald Acuna, who crushed the ball in spring training, hitting .423 with four home runs and 11 RBIs and was the MVP of the Arizona Fall League last year.
No doubt he's a top talent. He's got all the tools to be one of the best hitters and outfielders in the game. Pundits everywhere have predicted him to be the Rookie of the Year at the conclusion of the season.
Because the Braves will regain an extra year of contractual control if they wait until mid-April to call-up Acuna, he's starting the year in Triple-A Gwinnett. That's helped guys like Preston Tucker get an opportunity to not only make the Opening Day roster, but use that opportunity to make future roster decisions for the front office difficult.
Tucker, 27, is averaging over .400 with five RBIs as of Tuesday. He had game-tying RBIs in the first two games of the season. On Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals, he had a three-run home run to help the Braves pull-off-- yet again-- another early-season rally. He's helped the team comeback from behind three times already this season.
The Braves acquired Tucker in a trade with the Houston Astros for cash considerations in December. The outfielder was regarded as a good prospect in the Astros' farm system, but he struggled with his health. He underwent shoulder surgery in 2016.
His early hitting streak is thanks to him being 100 percent.
"A lot of it was just me being healthy. The last couple years have been rough for me. Getting at bats everyday," Tucker said in an interview with 11Alive. "I just wanted an opportunity. I thought if I got the right opportunity I could show enough to make this team and play a lot of ballgames and obviously help us win."
He's done just that.
Regardless, Acuna is coming no matter what.
"I'd say believe the hype," Anthropoulos told 11Alive on Acuna. He said there's no official timetable for Acuna's call-up, but hopes its soon contingent upon how he performs in Triple-A over the first couple of weeks.
As another player trying to solidify his career in the majors, Tucker has used the first couple games of the season to garner Snitker's attention.
"Preston Tucker's come in and just went about his business," Snitker said. "The guy's come in and worked and had a really good spring so far."
Coming into an organization that already has its future star could pose motivation for Tucker, but he's just worrying about himself.
"I wouldn’t say it’s a chip. I think it’s my goal to just get enough at bats to where I could produce and help us win," he said.
Johan Camargo will come off the disabled list soon, and other moves are on the way as Tyler Flowers recovers from a stint on the DL and Luiz Gohara finally returns after an injury in spring training. Spots will need to become available.
Tucker's doing everything he can to make it hard for the Braves to designate him for assignment.
But he's not the only one playing well. Ryan Flaherty is helping his slugging percentage early and Chris Stewart, filling in for the injured catchers, has picked up where the power-hitting duo of Flowers and Kurt Suzuki left off. Up and down the lineup, guys are hitting.
"That’s what we wanted to do," Tucker said. "A lot of the guys on this team still have room for improvement and a lot of potential. When it really shows, when they really play to the best that they can, we can produce a lot of runs."
It's early, and any early trends and prophetic declarations are premature less than a week into the MLB season.
But if Tucker keeps it up, the imminent decisions the Braves will have to make may become just a tad more difficult.
