A ball valve assembly includes a ball configured to rotate between an open position and a closed position. The ball valve assembly also includes a cradle having a ball-facing surface. The ball-facing surface faces the ball and is positioned at an end of a fluid passage through the cradle. In addition, the cradle is configured to rotatably support the ball to enable the ball to rotate between the open position and the closed position, and the cradle is configured to block movement of the ball toward the ball-facing surface to establish a separation distance between the ball and the ball-facing surface.