Only a few days removed from losing ace Spencer Strider to an arm injury, the Atlanta Braves will now be without the services of second baseman Ozzie Albies due to a fractured toe.
Albies was placed on the 10 day injured list with a fracture in the big toe on his right foot after being hit by a pitch in the 2nd inning vs. Houston on Monday. Manager Brian Snitker didn’t provide a timetable for the 27 year old to return, but did say that surgery wasn’t currently being discussed by the team.
“It’s a freak injury, and there’s nothing I can do it,” Albies said. “Just makes sure I heal fast, and I’m ready to go. Normally, when stuff like this happens, three or four innings in, it goes away, this one stayed, so I was like, ‘Uh, it’s not feeling right.’ I didn’t expect it to be broken.”
Currently batting .317 with 2 HRs, 14 runs, 14 RBIs, and 2 stolen bases across 63 at bats, Albies was seen wearing a walking boot in the clubhouse Tuesday. 29 year old Luis Guillorme was inserted into the Braves lineup ahead of first pitch on Tuesday evening.
“Ozzie’s a hard guy to replace,” Snitker said. “I feel good about the guys we have to fill the void until he’s back.”
In a corresponding move, Atlanta called up infielder David Fletcher from Triple-A Gwinnett to provide some depth to their roster. The Braves front office also finalized a minor league deal with former AL batting champion Yuli Gurriel, who was then assigned to Gwinnett for a conditioning stint.
Across 105 games with Miami in 2023, Gurriel hit .247 with 4 HRs, 28 RBIs, and 32 runs scored. Atlanta wraps up their series with Houston on Wednesday before heading home for a 9 game homestead beginning Friday vs. the Texas Rangers.
Photo: David. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.