A tenure that saw Tyler Pastornicky beat out Andrelton Simmons as starting shortstop, and then saw him fall out of favor with the Braves came to an end Thursday as he was released by the team.
Pastornicky had been in the team's minor league camp after being removed from Atlanta's 40-man roster earlier in the offseason. Per the International League transaction page, the 25-year-old was let go by Triple-A Gwinnett.
In three major league seasons, the right-handed shortstop/second baseman hit .243/.295/.314 with two home runs, 15 RBI, seven doubles and two home runs in 124 games.
In 2012, Pastornicky emerged from a spring battle with Simmons to claim the Opening Day job at shortstop. While he hit .248 with a .605 on-base percentage, his defense was lacking. In all, he had a minus-48.4 UZR/150 and minus-16 defensive runs saved in 332 2/3 innings that season.
"It just felt like right now we needed a little more," then-general manager Frank Wren would say.
Simmons would suffer a finger injury that kept him out two months, but even then, Pastornicky managed just one start the rest of the season, at second base.
A year later, Pastornicky seemed to have a chance to open eyes when second baseman Dan Uggla went on the disabled list following corrective eye surgery.
But days after being told he would be the starter with Uggla out, Pastornicky's season came to an end as he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in a collision with Jason Heyward.
He played sparingly in 2014, starting 10 games and hit .200/.304/.554. By July he was sent down to Gwinnett in favor of Tommy La Stella and would be designated for assignment in January.
Manager Fredi Gonzalez had once entertained the notion of Pastornicky becoming a super-utility player, expecting him to also see time in the outfield.
He would play just two innings of one game in center field in 2013.
While La Stella's rise made him expendable a year ago, the signing of Alberto Callaspo, acquiring Jace Peterson in trade this offseason -- and having Jose Peraza to develop -- seemed to seal his fate, making any chance of seeing playing time less and less likely.
