Braves to promote Dansby Swanson Wednesday

The Atlanta Braves have announced on Tuesday that top infield prospect Dansby Swanson will be promoted to the Major Leagues on Wednesday. 

The need for an infielder came about when the Braves traded Erick Aybar to the Tigers. 

Swanson, 22, was the No. 1 overall pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2015 MLB Draft. He was traded to the Braves this past offseason in a blockbuster move as part of a package that sent Shelby Miller to the desert. 

Swanson has hit well since coming out of LSU last year. This season, in 470 plate appearances between Class A-Advanced and Double-A, Swanson is hitting .275/.362/.426 with nine home runs and 55 runs batted in, all while playing shortstop. 

The Georgia native is ranked as the fifth-best prospect in baseball per MLB.com's midseason rankings. 

He is an all-around great player, posting above average or better marks with his hit, run, arm and fielding tools. He has the potential to be a perennial Major League All-Star. 

For the Braves, the promotion of Swanson is a huge deal. Atlanta has undergone one of the biggest rebuilding projects in all of baseball and has posted the worst record in the Major Leagues this season at 44-74. 

The team plans to open up a new ballpark for the 2017 season, when the team hopes to begin a turnaround from a few bleak seasons spanning the past three years. With Swanson, the future for the Braves seems closer than ever. 

​--Devan Fink

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