Rightfully, I’ve been pretty critical of Stephen Vogt this season because as much grief as everyone gave Kevan Smith, Vogt had been equally as abysmal with the bat. However, Vogt had a coming-out party with the stick last night. He smacked his first extra-base hit in a Braves uniform, which was a home run, and then he followed it up with another long ball in his very next at-bat. It was the first multi-homer performance of Vogt’s career, and I was finally feeling a little better about the Braves backup catcher situation.
Then, the unthinkable happened. Amid a career performance, Vogt injured his hip while throwing a runner out at third and was forced to leave the game. It didn’t look good, either, but he hasn’t been declared out for the season as of now. The Braves placed him on the 10-day IL with right hip inflammation.
In a corresponding move, William Contreras will return to Atlanta, which is always exciting. He’s one of the Braves’ most promising prospects and possesses far more upside than a player like Vogt, which can be seen by his dominance with the Stripers. In 44 AAA games, Contreras has nine homers and an .873 OPS. It wouldn’t be ideal for him to be Travis d’Arnaud‘s backup entering the postseason, but at this point, I’m not even sure Vogt is much of an upgrade, even after his incredible performance last night.
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