David Fletcher

ANALYSIS
Primarily an infielder since entering the professional ranks in 2015, Fletcher saw action in five games with Atlanta earlier this season and has been making regular starts at second base for Gwinnett since being outrighted off the 40-man roster in late April. However, the 29-year-old recently informed club officials that he had been tinkering with a knuckleball, and he impressed enough in workouts for the Gwinnett coaching staff to give him the chance to pitch in games earlier this month. Fletcher was tagged for six earned runs over six innings across his first four relief appearances for Gwinnett, but upon stepping into a starting role Wednesday, he delivered his lengthiest and best outing yet. Fletcher will likely need to turn in at least a few more quality performances on the mound for Gwinnett before Atlanta contemplates bringing him back on the big-league roster as a pitcher and utility infielder. There's also the matter of an ongoing investigation from Major League Baseball into Fletcher's involvement with the same Southern California bookmaker used by Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. According to Tisha Thompson of ESPN.com, sources familiar with the booking operation relay that Fletcher didn't place any bets on baseball, but clarity on whether Fletcher will receive any punishment related to his gambling activities won't become clear until the investigation concludes.

ANALYSIS
The 29-year-old could hit the open market while retaining the remaining money on his contract, which wasn't the case when he was outrighted last summer and over the winter. It wouldn't be a major surprise if Fletcher wanted to try his luck elsewhere, as Atlanta has arguably the most stable infield in baseball once Ozzie Albies returns from his toe injury Friday.