LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – A late scratch before Friday’s split-squad game against the Phillies resulted in Dian Toscano getting a start for the Braves in right field. Brought over from minor-league camp as an extra for the game, he ended up starting.
Toscano, who turned 27 on Wednesday, is the Cuban defector who signed a four-year, $6 million free-agent contract with the Braves in December 2014. He had to sit out the entire 2015 season due to governmental red tape before finally being cleared in November to begin playing.
He hit just .171 (7-for-41) with one double, two walks, 12 strikeouts and a .