Matt

Diaz

Diaz has played against lefties all year long, but starts versus righties have been few and far between. He’s hit them rather well in limited action, but because he can be very shaky defensively in left field, manager Bobby Cox has generally preferred to play Ryan Langerhans and lately Scott Thorman. If that’s beginning to change, Diaz could be of quite a bit of use in NL-only leagues.

The 25-year-old Diaz isn’t really a prospect, but he’s done nothing but hit all season long, batting .383 for Double-A Orlando and .325 after a promotion to Triple-A Durham last month. The Rays could give him starts each of the next three days in place of Carl Crawford. If he does well, he’ll see some time at DH until Ben Grieve returns. He’s a decent short-term pickup in AL-only leagues.

Diaz still finished 4-for-5 with four RBI tonight in a second straight start against a right-hander. He’s probably going to get to play regularly for a while, and though he shouldn’t have long-term value, mixed leaguers might want to give him a try while he’s hot.

Don’t read much into the steals, as they were Piazza-aided. Despite being one of the hottest hitters in the league, Diaz hadn’t started in six days. He’s deserving of more playing time in left field, but manager Bobby Cox has been hesitant to go away from Langerhans and downgrade defensively.

Jones didn’t start Sunday either, as he had pain on the inside of his surgically-repaired knee below the joint. He has minimal fluid buildup, though, and should be back in the lineup for his 40th birthday on Tuesday. Martin Prado will fill in at third base while Matt Diaz gets the start in left against the southpaw Chris Capuano.

Heyward, who is 2-for-10 with a double so far this season, is taking a seat against the southpaw J.A. Happ. Matt Diaz will make the start in right field.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Marvin Royster. The hope is that Jones could return as soon as the Braves’ home opener on April 13. Martin Prado is likely to fill in at third base for now while Eric Hinske and Matt Diaz figure to split at-bats in left field.

Matt Diaz is 17-for-34 (.500) with a homer and four doubles lifetime against Tuesday’s starter Johan Santana, so Braves’ manager Fredi Gonzalez is just playing the matchups in left field. Prado will be back in there Wednesday.

Diaz might be a better option as a DH than Randall Simon, but that hardly makes him unique. He’s probably not going to play much if both Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli can stay in the lineup.

Diaz would like to avoid season-ending surgery on the thumb, but it’s possible that might end up being the course of action. He received a second opinion on the thumb recently from Dr. Thomas Graham in Cleveland. “He agreed with his assessment in the fact that if it doesn’t calm down on its own there’s no sense in waiting around months to go ahead and get (surgery),” Diaz said. “We should know something in the next week.”