MILWAUKEE (AP) Tyler Saladino was activated from the disabled list and in the Milwaukee Brewers' starting lineup Thursday as they prepared to open a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves.
Saladino was acquired from the Chicago White Sox in late April and recalled from Triple-A Colorado Springs on May 9. He appeared in 16 games for the Brewers and was batting .326 in 16 games when he went down with a sprained ankle and landed on the DL on May 30.
His performance allowed the Brewers to send Orlando Arcia to Triple A to work out of an offensive funk. Arcia was brought back up when Saladino was hurt and has since been sent back to Colorado Springs while Brad Miller and Nate Orf shared time at shortstop.
Those two will remain in the mix at short, along with Saladino.
''Tyler had played so well, we were starting to give him regular `reps' at shortstop before the injury,'' Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell said. ''What we were most impressed by is the way he played defense. He played shortstop at a really high level and was making very difficult plays look easy.''
To clear space for Saladino on the active roster, Milwaukee designated infielder Eric Sogard for assignment.
Sogard, 32, signed a one-year, $2.4 million deal with the team over the winter after batting .273 with a .393 OBP in 94 games for Milwaukee last season. He was never able to get on track in 2018 and was batting just .134 (13-for-97) with a .241 OBP and .165 slugging percentage in 55 games.
''He had some bad luck early in the season and he could never get out of it,'' Counsell said. ''As we got healthier, we ran out of (roster) space. Eric made a huge contribution to us last year. And really, throughout all of this, he was a real pro in how he prepared and provided us with value.''
Sogard accepted an option to Colorado Springs earlier in the season, but by designating him for assignment he's been removed from the 40-man roster. The Brewers have 10 days to trade him, release him or outright him to the minors.
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