Heyward, Freeman, & Palica promoted to AA

The Braves have sent Jason Heyward and two more top prospects to Double-A Mississippi.

The Braves have promoted outfielder Jason Heyward, first baseman Freddie Freeman, and reliever Tommy Palica to Double-A Mississippi.

Heyward was 2-4 in his finale for Myrtle Beach Thursday night. He finishes his time with the Pelicans with a .296 batting average, 10 home runs, 31 RBI, 12 doubles, and four stolen bases in 189 at bats. Heyward's OBP was .369, his SLG percentage was .519 (second best in the Carolina League), and his OPS was .888 (third best).

Freeman was hitting .302 for the Pelicans (sixth best in the Carolina League) with six home runs and 34 RBI in 255 at bats. He also had 19 doubles, a .394 OBP (third best in the league), a .447 SLG percentage, and a .841 OPS (eighth best). Since May 1st, Freeman hit .333 in 180 at bats, with two home runs and 19 RBI.

Palica pitched in 29 games for Myrtle Beach and was 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA. He allowed 33 hits in 34.2 innings, with 14 walks, and 34 strikeouts. Pelican recorded six saves.

Bill Shanks hosts The Bill Shanks Show on WFSM Fox Sports 1670 in Macon, Georgia and The Braves Show Talk Show. Shanks writes a weekly baseball column for The Macon Telegraph and is the author of Scout's Honor: The Bravest Way To Build A Winning Team. You can email Bill at .