No. 1 pick Swanson called up for Braves debut

ATLANTA — Dansby Swanson received his much-anticipated call to the Majors, starting at shortstop and hitting eighth for the Braves in Wednesday’s 10-3 loss to the Twins. He went 2-for-4 with two singles in his debut.

By trading shortstop Erick Aybar to the Tigers on Tuesday, the Braves created the roster spot necessary for Swanson to begin his Major League career. The 22-year-old suburban Atlanta native ranks as baseball’s No. 5 overall prospect according to MLBPipeline.com.

“There’s a lot we like about Dansby,” said John Hart, Atlanta’s president of baseball operations. “We don’t expect him to come up here and be the savior, but we feel like this is an opportunity for us to take a good look and get him some experience up here in the big leagues.”

• Swanson brings on-base ability, defense to Braves

Swanson was taken by the D-backs with the first overall selection in the 2015 MLB Draft and was traded to the Braves in the blockbuster deal that sent right-hander Shelby Miller to Arizona in December. The sure-handed shortstop has hit .261 with a .745 OPS over 84 games for Double-A Mississippi after beginning the year with Class A Advanced Carolina.

“He’s not setting the world on fire, but I think pretty much everybody remembers what we saw in Spring Training,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “We’re not asking this kid to come in and carry us to the Promised Land. We’re asking him to come in and be a part of this team. He’s a good …

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