Prior to their series against the Arizona Diamondbacks beginning on Tuesday, the Atlanta Braves announced a change, demoting Matt Tuiasosopo from third base coach duties. While it’s rare to see base coaches get demoted midseason, it isn’t shocking that the Braves lost their patience with Tuiasosopo. His replacement being Fredi Gonzalez, though, is shocking.

Gonzalez managed the Braves for parts of six seasons and had some good moments, going 434-413 before getting fired during the middle of the 2016 campaign, and getting replaced by Brian Snitker, who is still in that same position today.

Now, this isn’t Gonzalez’s first time as a third base coach in Atlanta, as he served in that position before he became manager of the then Florida Marlins, but Braves fans could’ve never predicted seeing him back in Atlanta after how his managerial tenure ended.

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Matt Tuiasosopo replacement is as shocking as it gets

Again, having Tuiasosopo do something else was not surprising and ultimately feels like the right call. He’s been responsible for a couple of brutal sends that have played a key role in a couple of crushing Braves losses.

Tuiasosopo can’t fully be blamed for trying to push the envelope at times for this Braves team that can’t seem to get out of its own way offensively, but the last thing a team struggling to score runs can afford is making outs on the bases, especially when they’re entirely avoidable.

Making a change of this magnitude midseason doesn’t happen often, but is warranted in this case. Still, it feels weird seeing Gonzalez as the replacement.

Gonzalez has tons of experience in a variety of positions as a coach, and, as mentioned prior, was even a third base coach in Atlanta for several years before getting a managerial gig. Still, with his Braves’ managerial tenure ending with three straight losing seasons, including an abysmal 9-28 mark before getting fired in 2016, it’s interesting that he’s back.

Ultimately, this feels like a prime example of Brian Snitker wanting his guys in town. Tuiasosopo was not the right fit, but Snitker and the Braves didn’t want to branch out too far to find his replacement. All this shows is that Snitker isn’t going anywhere, at least this season, no matter how badly Braves fans might want him gone.