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Well, this stinks.
I think it is safe to say that most of us did not think that Adam Duvall was going to an offensive force that would carry the Braves’ offense for an extended period of time in 2020. However, most of us were wrong....Duvall went wild in September with 11 homers and put together a strong season with a 116 wRC+ overall. He didn’t have to be the offense’s focal point with the strength of the top of the order, but he more than justified his spot in the lineup and looked Babe Ruthian for a short stretch there.
However, the playoffs had not been as kind. He did connect for a homer in the Reds series and nice late inning double against the Marlins, but beyond that....Duvall had been almost a non-factor in the playoffs thanks to a steady dose of high quality, right-handed pitching that the Braves have been facing in the playoffs. Things did not get any better for Adam as he hurt himself on a swing in the second inning and was immediately pulled for Cristian Pache in the middle of the at-bat. Manager Brian Snitker was not optimistic during or after the game about the injury and, as it turns out, there was reason for that lack of optimism.
Braves have replaced injured OF Adam Duvall on NLCS roster with IF Johan Camargo.
— Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) October 13, 2020
The loss of Duvall is certainly problematic for the Braves on a number of levels. It certainly challenges their outfield depth, particularly against lefties where Duvall is counted on more and where Nick Markakis is basically unplayable. Having Pache around certainly helps, but playing him every day hampers the team in terms of not having a great option to sub out for Markakis late in games. Austin Riley can also fill in in left, but the drop-off defensively is pretty significant given how good Duvall is out there.
In his place, Johan Camargo gets a place on the NLCS roster after struggling a lot in 2020. The one thing that he CAN do is play third base which does allow the Braves to move Austin Riley to the outfield if need be. Removing Duvall from the NLCS roster does mean that he will not be eligible for the World Series roster if the Braves make it that far.