Braves' Olivera promoted from Triple-A, goes hitless in debut

Hector Olivera, the highly touted Cuban infielder who received a $62.5-million contract this winter, made his long awaited MLB debut Tuesday after being recalled by the Atlanta Braves as one of several September call-ups.

Though he wasn't initially expected to be in the lineup for the Braves' game against the Miami Marlins, manager Fredi Gonzalez penciled him in to bat sixth and play third base roughly three hours before first pitch. He went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in Atlanta's 7-1 loss to Miami.

Olivera, 30, drew interest from multiple teams upon defecting from Cuba last September before signing a six-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in March. Visa issues prevented him from making his stateside debut for a number of weeks, however, while injuries limited Olivera to just 35 minor-league games with the Dodgers before he was shipped to Atlanta as part of a three-team deal at the non-waiver trade deadline.

A fixture on the Cuban national team from 2007-11, Olivera appeared in just 10 games with Gwinnett before being promoted Tuesday, hitting .231/.286/.308 with the International League affiliate. Over parts of 10 seasons in Serie Nacional, though, Olivera managed a .912 OPS for Avispas de Santiago de Cuba.

The Braves also added infielder Daniel Castro and right-hander Brandon Cunniff to their active roster Tuesday while reinstating left-hander Manny Banuelos from the 15-day disabled list.