The Braves announced this morning that they’ve placed second baseman Ozzie Albies and first baseman Matt Adams on the 10-day injured list. Albies is dealing with a bone contusion in his right wrist, while Adams is hobbled by a hamstring strain. In a pair of corresponding moves, Atlanta reinstated outfielder Nick Markakis from the restricted list and recalled catcher Alex Jackson from their alternate training site.
Albies, 23, has gotten out to a slow start this season, hitting at just a .159/.196/.273 clip through his first 46 plate appearances. That, and the fact that he batted left-handed against a left-handed pitcher in last night’s game, seem like clear evidence that the issue has been hampering him of late. Jeff Schultz of The Athletic tweets that the Braves expect Albies’ wrist troubles to be a season-long issue; that’s not to say they expect him on the IL all year, of course, but rather that the issue likely won’t fully heal until he can rest it in the offseason. For now, there’s no timetable on Albies’ return to the active roster. Charlie Culberson and Johan Camargo can handle second base in his absence.
Adams strained his hamstring on the basepaths in last night’s game. He’s gotten out to a slow start as well, hitting just .212/.234/.425 with a pair of home runs. One of those long balls came against a lefty, but the Braves have unsurprisingly limited Adams to just three plate appearances against southpaws. He is, after all, a lifetime .211/.239/.381 hitter against same-handed opponents.
As for Markakis, he’ll return in rapid fashion after an unexpected about-face on his decision to opt out of the 2020 season. He’d previously cited the absence of fans and teammate Freddie Freeman’s struggles with Covid-19 symptoms in his decision to sit the current season out. He only just returned to the club a week ago, so there’s likely some rust that’ll need to be shaken off. Thankfully for the Braves, they have a relatively deep outfield mix that features Marcell Ozuna, Ender Inciarte, Ronald Acuna Jr., Adam Duvall, Scott Schebler, the aforementioned Culberson and now Markakis. That’ll give manager Brian Snitker ample time to ease Markakis back into the fold as he ramps back up with the big league club.
By recalling Jackson, the Braves give themselves not only a third catcher behind Travis d’Arnaud and Tyler Flowers, but also a potential backup at first base and in the outfield corners. Jackson opened the season as the club’s catcher after both d’Arnaud and Flowers exhibited Covid-19 symptoms and went 2-for-7 with a double and four strikeouts. He was optioned back to the team’s alternate site after d’Arnaud and Flowers ultimately tested negative.
Markakis should not be allowed to play this season
Because he made a rash decision?
Agreed. He opted-out. He wasn’t high risk and shouldn’t be allowed to opt back in.
There was a little know provision that allowed players to opt back in before 8/1, in case there was a change of heart. Baseball insiders even claimed they didn’t know about the guideline. Obviously the players did. It will be extremely difficult for anyone else now to come back, based on the information that is out there now.
The Braves want him back, he wants to return. Don’t overthink it.
^exactly @lordd99
Say the Braves fans, haha. If that was Zimmerman retuning to the nats you would be questioning it, don’t pretend you wouldn’t
No one cares about Zimmerman, he’s a has been
nope don’t care at all if Zimmerman opts back in at all…i have no problem with any player opting in or out in any sports league
Why? Because he changed his mind before 8/1? He made a spontaneous decision, and probably regretted it. Im not a Braves fan, but I understand.
agreed. i get the concern about the precedent but otherwise its a silly thing to complain about.
Please. Last time I checked free will is still a thing.
This has got to be the worse statement I’ve ever heard… opt out or not, his decision isn’t exactly effecting anyone. Maybe because he makes the Braves better that makes you mad? But let’s be honest, he’s not some superstar and the Braves are the only team (not having a covid outbreak) that is completely falling apart. Don’t be a jerk.. let the guy live his life. The entire Houston Astros shouldn’t be allowed to play if we are gonna come up with illogical reasons as to why players shouldn’t be allowed to play
“The entire Houston Astros shouldn’t be allowed to play if we are gonna come up with illogical reasons as to why players shouldn’t be allowed to play.”
Now THAT’s a good idea. (I am kidding, of course.)
lowtalkers.
Why? Covid is a fluid situation. It seemed ridiculous to not allow players to change their mind. Based on more information they should be allowed to Opt back in or Opt out.
I never could understand how anyone was against that.
The only “problem” with players being able to opt out then back in is the impact it could have had on roster construction. The uncertainty could have forced teams to make moves they wouldn’t otherwise have made. This is theoretical of course, but that’s where I see the “issue” with letting players reverse their decision to opt out.
Lowtalker, he abided by an agreed upon set of terms. Be mad if you want, but it’s silly and lacking any sort of supporting argument outside of your opinion. It wasn’t as if the league made some type of special “Markakis rule.”
Or he should AT LEAST have to get permission from you. Totally agree.
yikes this poor team
No doubt… we are taking a beating and covid hasn’t been an issue like it has with other teams
It all starts with the fact that the Braves have depth but they don’t have superstars. Several of the pitchers they have are only above average and/or testing age. Soroka was their only ace-like pitcher.
I know they made it to the postseason last year, but talent and numbers gets you farther than above average depth. We saw that the last two years.
To disagree with u only a tiny bit, I’d argue fried is ace like … especially thus far this year
Fried is their ace even with Soroka in my opinion. He has the stuff to dominate a game where as Soroka needs a lot of help from his defense.
The problem is that every game matters so much this season that we can’t afford this…
Braves can’t catch a break. Ozzie is very off, whatever is going on his hurting us bad. Matt Adams hits a HR last night, then gets hurt. Our team is falling apart..
And we still are crushing teams most games!..we are deep in every area, except the pitching rotation 2 thru 5 of course lol….i think Wright is gonna impress in short order tho!
In the NL East… come postseason they won’t win a series with that roster.
You have no idea. In two months who knows what rosters will look like.
Come on, 33% of their games have been against the AL East, and EVERY game has been against a team that finished over .500 last season. Not to mention that off the 8 games against the NL East two were against the nastiest pitcher in baseball.
They have played a tough schedule by most standards and are still looking good without Acuna hitting at all.
UGA Steve, how did the Blue Jays finish above .500 last year? Exactly how does a 95-loss team count as a team that finished above .500?
i like Fried and Newk as a 1-2, but beyond there the drop off is crazy. i know ATL has guys like Weigel and Davidson, but who knows how good they will be off the bat. the lineup doesnt look as good without Albies and at this point if they lose one of Fried or Newk i cant see them competing all that well.
What have you seen with Newk that make you trot him out every 5th day? He’s a long man and a glorified opener that cannot seem to hit the next gear. I’d love to see him piggybacking off Touki’s starts. Touki had a nice 1st start vs. NYM, though he was lucky getting out of some trouble. But, that’s just me.
The problem I see with Newk is that he is not going after hitters. With his stuff, his K-rate should be higher. He is trying to ‘pitch’ a little bit too much. It leads to long counts do to a ton of foul tips and foul balls, until he gives up a walk or something falls into play. That dude needs to be out there pitching his nougats off like he does when in relief and not trying to ‘work softly into the 5th’.
To me, that’s a management problem. Sit him down and tell him. His control is just not good enough to be a pitch to contact guy.
They keep having him throw fastballs early in the count and he’s constantly behind. Either throw off speed early in the count or he needs to figure out how to throw his fastball for strikes. Everything is up and out.
Braveshomer… definitely living up to your name. 8-4 is hardly crushing teams most games
Look, I have no problem running with the young guys and hoping they figure it out. But I do know that it’s gonna be a bumpy road. Newcomb however… he needs to be in the bullpen
last I checked Braves are #2 or maybe even #1 in the majors in runs scored and thats without Albiea, Acuna, and Freeman even hitting well at the moment….where’s the Nats ranked @whynot?!
Who cares where the nats are, the Braves are still 8-4, thats good record but definitely not crushing everyone every night.
It all feels so numb and different after Soroka, who was probably the one player we couldn’t afford to lose. There’s enough bats and positional depth in the lineup to withstand this for a week or so, but Soroka’s loss is just devastating.
Ozzie’s wrist is something he’ll likely deal with the rest of the season, so it’s fine to try to give him some rest and see what improvement that may bring. It was hindering him from being his usual productive self.
I don’t know why, I just have a bad feeling Markakis returning is going to disrupt the current flow of the offense and make the defense worse by not having Inciarte or Duvall out there like they have been.
Not sure why they continue to look to Alex Jackson. d’Arnaud has been hitting consistently well, and if he’s 100%, I’d at least try him out at 1B, where he has more experience than A-Jax and isn’t (as much of) a defensive liability. This seems to be the end of the road for A-Jax.
There’s a guy named Freeman at 1B, maybe you’ve heard of him?
I think his point was that Atlanta has much more depth in the lineup than in pitching
Guessing they will want to DH Travis d’Arnaud a good bit more to save wear on him, and have Alex catch every 3rd game or so.
The Braves have been hit pretty hard.
Situations like this is the major reasons I was in favor of expanded playoffs. It gives teams a chance to recover from situations like this.
Eh, I mean that’s true in any year. 60 games may be too short, but individual games are insignificant in the grand scheme of 162. I like that each regular season game has more stakes this year, but don’t dispute that we know more after 162.
It’s like anything else. If the season was, say 110 or 120 games, teams would adjust within a few years. My biggest issue is it’s so easy for baseball to compare stats across eras because the 162 hasn’t changed in so long. That’s why it’s fair to compare a Trout to a Mayes or a deGrom to a Maddux or Ryan.
The bigger picture is baseball largely being a tradition-based culture which may come into conflict with younger fans. One example is the NL-DH which was contested for decades, and now seems welcomed merely two weeks after it was implemented.
I believe over 162 games cream rises and you can play out of temporary bad luck.
Over a 162 games season, almost every team goes through a rough patch. Without looking, I bet even the 1984 Tigers had a rough patch.
Sixty games, is like Jim Ryun stumbling in the 1972 Olympics. There just isn’t enough time to recover.
I had to look it up, and you’re right: the ’84 Tigers had a 6-12 stretch in late July/early August.
The Indians snapped their 6-game win streak in the last game of a series on July 25. That started a Tigers slump that ran until August 10, when Detroit won the first game of a three-game sweep over Kansas City.
That slump dropped them from 68-29 to 74-41, lol, and the second-place Jays gained 3.5 games in the standings.
But your point is well-taken: in a 60-game season, of course, the effect is much more significant.
MWeller 🙂
Yeah, I’m not disputing that over 162 you get a better determination of the best teams. I love baseball so if they played a 20 or 200 game season, I’d follow it with interest.
Because I watch it so closely, I can also say it can get a little mundane around June and mid-August just because it’s so long.
Honestly, what I think may be best is to keep the same calendar, but slightly reduce the number of games. I’d rather have more off days where we can see teams top starters more in the schedule. Obviously, baseball isn’t as physically taxing as football or basketball but both the NBA and NFL benefit from being able to see their top stars in practically every game. Increasing the number of rest days probably helps guys stay fresh longer too. Unfortunately, less games means less money at first so it won’t happen.
The MLB has been infected with an enormous amount of tiny questionable, minor injuries in the first 2 weeks of the season. Strange.
Compared to the start of a normal season, this injury total is extremely high.
From the start and stop of spring training #2, or from something else?
“Compared to the start of a normal season, this injury total is extremely high.”
I don’t think it is. But people seem to say that every year.
no doubt it is high. 5x the number of pitcher dl’s compared to last year in the first 10 days. It is not a coincidence.
Is that a legit statistic? Are covid IL trips factored in? Obviously those aren’t injuries and shouldn’t be counted.
nope
..strictly shoulder and elbow injuries
nope
..strictly shoulder and elbow injuries – per Steve Phillips…MLB Radio
Please read Phillies response. Sorry Halo, you’re wrong on this injury topic I brought up.
These moves improve the team in the short run.
Ozuna is brutal in the outfield and clearly doesn’t want to play defense. With Adam’s hurt and Markakis coming back, the Braves can move Ozuna to DH full time and have Duvall and Markakis split time in LF. Better defense with the same offensive output.
Albies clearly couldn’t hit with his injury, and Camargo, Culberson, and Adeiny will be an improvement to what Albies was doing until he’s back.
3b is now Riley’s job full time. I’ve actually been surprised with his defense and I think his offense will come around now that he knows he’s at 3b full time.
The Braves will be alright. Now, if their bullpen starts getting hurt, that’s when the trouble will start. It’s their strength and deepest part of the team.
No doubt making Ozuna the full-time DH will improve the team at two positions.
Honestly, the fact that Ozuna even saw the field is bad management. There is no combination of DH that they could have run out there with Ozuna in LF that would have been an overall win vs Ozuna at DH and any single one of the other 4-6 guys they could have put in the outfield alongside Ender and Acuna.
Seriously. Duvall, Culberson, Camargo, Riley, as well as non-OF’ers like Hechavarria, D’Arnaud, Adams, any of their non-starting pitchers, Snitker himself, or even the Bleacher Creature or Chief Nokahoma. Any of them would be a better tandem with Ozuna at DH than any of them DH’ing with Ozuna in the field.
I want to like Snitker, but I just do not agree with the ‘giving him a game in the field’ concept.
We’re not far away from the Braves being jealous of the Marlins for how many of their regulars they’re able to start…
And pretty much every other team in baseball