The Braves announced Wednesday that they’ve shut banged up outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. down for the rest of the regular season. Hip tightness and a left groin strain have troubled Acuna of late, but the NL East-winning Braves expect the superstar to be fine by the time the NLDS begins next week. The Braves, who are locked into the NL’s No. 2 seed, don’t have anything of substance to play for over the final few days of the season. However, it’s still a shame for the 21-year-old Acuna that he won’t have an opportunity at a 40-40 campaign. Acuna’s outstanding regular season will end with 41 home runs, 37 steals, a .280/.365/.518 line and 5.5 fWAR over 715 plate appearances.
Braves Rumors
Ronald Acuna Dealing With Hip Tightness
The last thing the Braves need at this point of the season, with nothing more to gain or lose in the standings, is an injury issue — least of all to a key player. In that light, it was rather concerning to see young star Ronald Acuna depart yesterday’s game early.
Per a club announcement at the time, Acuna was pulled owing to hip tightness. The team characterized the decision as precautionary. Of course, that’s something of a typical placeholding statement in such situations, so Braves fans would be forgiven for fearing worse.
Manager Brian Snitker made clear after the contest that the organization doesn’t see cause for alarm, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reports. “He’ll just be day to day,” says Snitker. “We’ll treat him up and see how he is tomorrow.”
Acuna was even more forceful on the point, saying he didn’t feel he needed to be removed and will be ready to go whenever he’s written back into the lineup. That’s just the sort of gung ho attitude you admire in a young player, but it’s also something the team needs to protect against with the postseason beckoning.
Indeed, the 21-year-old also indicated that this isn’t a new issue.
“I’ve been feeling it before. But I’m a warrior and I’m going to keep playing through these types of things. That’s just the way that I am. I was dealing with it and pushing through it. But eventually, it came to the point where it became a little more intolerable.”
Given that, it was surely wise of the Braves to take a cautious approach. Acuna is, after all, one of the team’s key players. Even if the hip isn’t a significant hindrance at the plate, it could conceivably limit him in the field and on the bases — where he derives significant value — or end up resulting in a more concerning health issue.
Inciarte Return Pushed Back
- Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte was previously said to be expected back this Tuesday, but the veteran may instead return this Friday, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com (link). It’s fair to wonder if the Braves are feeling a little less urgency now that they’ve clinched the NL East, but Inciarte will nonetheless be a welcome component of Atlanta’s postseason roster. Inciarte, who has been downed with a bad hammy since August, has only logged a -1 DRS figure in 63 games on the grass this year–a far cry from the +17 DRS he recorded for the Braves last year. Speedster Billy Hamilton, Inciarte’s replacement as of late, is 8-for-29 at the plate for Atlanta this year.
Freddie Freeman To Miss Kansas City Series
- Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman, who has been battling through a bone spur in his elbow, was again bothered by the elbow today, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. With his Braves having already clinched the NL East, he’ll play it safe and take the next few days off before rejoining the club on Friday for the series against the Mets. The hope is that four days of rest and treatment will have Freeman ready to go for the rest of year—it’s worth noting that, after the game, manager Brian Snitker said that Freeman would be in the lineup if the playoffs were starting tomorrow.
Josh Donaldson On Braves Tenure
After back-to-back injury-limited seasons divided between Toronto and Cleveland, former AL MVP Josh Donaldson settled for a short-term contract in free agency last winter. Donaldson accepted the Braves’ one-year, $23MM offer in hopes of a bounce-back campaign that would propel him to a larger deal this offseason. That’ll likely come to fruition in a couple months for Donaldson, who has enjoyed a healthy and excellent year for an Atlanta team that’s close to locking up the National League East.
The playoff-bound Braves will vie for a championship in October, but no matter how their season ends, it stands to reason they’ll attempt to re-sign Donaldson. General manager Alex Anthopoulos suggested last month the Braves would gladly welcome him back, while Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote Wednesday they “would love” to keep Donaldson in the fold. Donaldson, meanwhile, seems to have a similar affinity for the Braves.
“I’ve enjoyed playing here every day,” Donaldson told Burns of his time in Atlanta. “And I look forward to playing in this uniform as long as I can.”
Based on the comments Anthopoulos and Donaldson have made, it’s fair to say the two sides have mutual interest in continuing their partnership. However, it’ll likely take a much greater financial commitment from the team in order to bring Donaldson back. Even though Donaldson doesn’t have youth on his side (he’ll turn 34 in December), he should still be able to land at least a two- to three-year contract worth upward of $20MM per annum in the offseason. After all, Donaldson has reestablished himself as a force this season with a .258/.378/.526 line, 37 home runs and 5.7 bWAR/4.7 fWAR in 632 plate appearances.
Thanks to his 2019 production, Donaldson may well end up as the game’s second-best position player on the open market, trailing only Nationals MVP candidate Anthony Rendon. Teams that need help at third base but can’t or don’t want to pay Rendon nine figures (perhaps around $150MM or more) could look to Donaldson as an appealing and much less costly alternative. If Donaldson cashes in elsewhere, the Braves will have a ready-made replacement in third baseman/outfielder Austin Riley. They still figure to be among the most ardent bidders for Donaldson, though, and it should help their cause that he seems more than willing to stay put.
Latest On Ender Inciarte
The Braves are hopeful that outfielder Ender Inciarte will be ready for activation early next week, manager Brian Snitker tells reporters including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Inciarte is working to recover from a hamstring strain.
When the injury initially occurred one month ago, it was estimated at a four to six week recovery timeframe. Inciarte is already hitting and running, so it seems he’s at the early end of the spectrum.
That’s great news for the Atlanta organization, particularly since the organization just lost two top reserve players to injury. Optimally, Inciarte would get at least a decent run of live action at the tail end of the regular season to ramp up for the playoffs.
Trouble is, there’s only a brief window left. And the Braves must balance the desire to get the outfielder reps — and assess his readiness to contribute — with the need to avoid further injury. As Snitker puts it, “reports are good” on Inciarte’s progress as he ramps up, “but what he does in drills is a lot different than taxing it and playing in games.”
No matter what happens with Inciarte, the Braves are well covered in the outfield. In addition to star Ronald Acuna, the club has welcomed back Nick Markakis from his own lengthy rehab stint and added speed-and-glove switch-hitter Billy Hamilton. With lefty bench bat Matt Joyce also in the mix for a postseason roster spot, along with right-handed hitters Adam Duvall and Austin Riley, it’ll be interesting to see how the outfield logjam is resolved if Inciarte is able to get back and show he’s healthy.
Braves Select John Ryan Murphy
The Braves announced today that they have selected the contract of catcher John Ryan Murphy. A 40-man roster spot was cleared by placing injured utilityman Charlie Culberson on the 60-day injured list.
Murphy, 28, was added over the summer in a minor swap with the Diamondbacks. He had struggled to a .177/.250/.419 batting line in 69 MLB plate appearances with the Arizona organization.
The Braves likely intend to utilize Murphy to reduce the wear and tear on the club’s primary backstops. With the division all but sewn up, the focus now is on preparing the roster for the postseason. While he’s technically eligible for the playoffs if needed, Murphy is fourth on the depth chart.
Charlie Culberson Fractures Cheek Bone, Out For Season
Sunday: Culberson fractured a bone in his cheek on the play, tweets David O’Brien of the Athletic. While he won’t require surgery, he will miss the remainder of the season.
Saturday: A very heated scene ensued in D.C. this afternoon after a fastball from Washington’s Fernando Rodney struck Atlanta’s Charlie Culberson squarely in the face. Though Culberson, 30, was turned to bunt when at-bat in the top of the seventh, Rodney’s fastball apparently got away from him and connected near Culberson’s eye. Culberson was placed onto a medical cart by the Atlanta training staff and eventually motioned a “thumbs-up” to the crowd, but manager Brian Snitker would soon follow him off of the playing field after an ejection. Apparently incensed that home plate umpire Tim Timmons called the pitch a strike, Snitker vociferously mirrored much of the Twitter community’s feeling that, despite the fact that Culberson was indeed squared to bunt when the pitch hit him, the umpire should have spared the strike call in consideration of the bloody scene. Atlanta’s Fox Sports affiliate has video of the incident which shows both the aftermath of the HBP and Snitker’s ejection (Twitter links).
As for the potential, on-field ramifications of this incident, Atlanta can ill-afford to lose more position player depth. Johan Camargo was just this week felled by a fractured shin, and a lengthy absence for Culberson would further test Atlanta’s bench corps as the group gears up for postseason play.
Since the beginning of 2018, Culberson has provided the Braves with 466 plate appearances in which he has recorded a .267/.316/.457 slash line with 17 home runs and 65 RBI. Even more usefully, Snitker has employed the veteran at every position save for center field and catcher over the last two years, including some garbage-time relief pitching work. Further updates on Culberson’s injury will be provided as they become available.
Freddie Freeman Day-To-Day
Nick Markakis returned to the Braves lineup Friday night after a seven-week layoff. The Braves were able to “ease” Markakis back into action with a cupcake matchup against Max Scherzer, against whom he’s rolled to a .323/.375/.423 line in 65 career at-bats. Not bad production against one of the best pitchers of his generation. Three innings into his return, the Braves faced a fresh injury scare. Freddie Freeman left yesterday’s game with elbow soreness, per The Athletic’s David O’Brien. Freddie Franchise aggravated a bone spur while making a defensive play, but his removal was precautionary, and the Braves don’t expect him to miss any time. Freeman himself classified the injury as day-to-day, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. He’ll be back in the lineup by Sunday at the latest. Let’s see what else is happening in the NL East…
Braves Activate Nick Markakis; Johan Camargo Diagnosed With Shin Fracture
9:50pm: Camargo isn’t necessarily done for the season, according to manager Brian Snitker (Twitter link via Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). The hope is that he’ll be ready to return in about three weeks, when the playoffs will already be underway. As noted below, though, even a healthy version might not have been a lock to land on the Braves’ postseason roster.
12:16pm: The Braves announced today that they have activated outfielder Nick Markakis from the injured list, as expected. Utilityman Johan Camargo has been placed on the 10-day IL after being diagnosed with a fractured shin.
The Atlanta organization also called up some fresh arms to help the team manage innings down the stretch. Righties Touki Toussaint, Bryse Wilson and Kyle Wright are all heading to the active roster.
Markakis has bounced back from a fractured wrist. He’ll be tasked with getting back up to game speed without the benefit of a rehab assignment. With the Braves secure in their postseason position, they can allow him to get his cuts in without much concern for the outcome.
Meanwhile, the news on Camargo seemingly brings to an end a forgettable season. There’s no official word yet on an anticipated timeline, but it’s tough to imagine he’ll be able to heal up in time to be a factor. Odds are he’d have been left off the postseason roster regardless given his prolonged struggles.
The shin fracture — suffered on a foul ball — shouldn’t dent Camargo’s long-term outlook. But it could slow his offseason work. He’ll be trying to sort things out over the winter after turning in 248 plate appearances of .233/.279/.384 hitting while also posting a downturn in the field. The 25-year-old switch-hitter had been a 3+ WAR performer in 2018.
