Braves select contract of Pablo Sandoval, designate Phillip Ervin for assignment

The Atlanta Braves announced another roster move Saturday morning and their bench is now beginning to take shape. Atlanta selected the contract of infielder Pablo Sandoval and opened a spot on the 40-man roster by designating outfielder Phillip Ervin for assignment. The team also announced that they have released veteran infielder Jason Kipnis.

Sandoval doesn’t offer much defensively, but the Braves are most likely looking for him to add some punch to their bench. He has hit well this spring 15-for-35 at the plate with three doubles. Ervin was brought in to provide some outfield depth and hit reasonably well going 8-for-29 this spring. Kipnis saw a lot of action earlier this spring and went 7-for-29 with a homer at the plate.

Atlanta’s bench is now starting to take shape with Sandoval and Ehire Adrianza, who was added to the roster this morning, likely joining Ender Inciarte and Johan Camargo along with either Alex Jackson or William Contreras. Infielder Jake Lamb is also another possibility that could seemingly replace Camargo.