The Atlanta Braves rallied late on Monday night against the Houston Astros to earn a 6-1 win, but it wasn't all good news for Atlanta.
Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies was hit in the foot by a pitch in the second inning of that game, and now will have to spend a stint on the IL, per the team:
“The Braves today selected the contract of INF David Fletcher, and placed INF Ozzie Albies on the 10-day injured list with a right great toe fracture.”
The Braves second baseman finished the game without any noticeable problems, but afterward, he was sore and limping.
Infielder David Fletcher has been selected to take his place on the roster. The Braves had a couple of vacancies on its 40-man roster and won’t need to make a corresponding move in that regard.
On the season, Albies is batting .317 with a pair of home runs and 14 RBIs.
Fletcher, who spent his entire six-year career with the Los Angeles Angels prior to this season, hit .324 for the Braves in spring training. With AAA Gwinnett, he hit .280 with seven RBIs in 13 games.
Braves injuries piling up
Despite their elite offense still carrying them to a 10-5 record, injuries are starting to pile up for the Braves.
All-Star catcher Sean Murphy went down on Opening Day with an oblique injury, forcing Travis d'Arnaud to assume the everyday catcher role.
Shortly afterward, Braves ace Spencer Strider was lost for the season with a UCL injury.
Strider, who has already had one Tommy John surgery, elected to be fitted with a brace to repair the injury.
Strider had a pretty uncharacteristic start for the Braves against the Diamondbacks. In the four innings he pitched, the ace gave up seven hits and five runs. It wasn't just the stats that showed his struggles, too: his fastball clearly lost a lot of velocity. It was clear that something was wrong with the ace, and his early exit proved exactly that.
The Braves will now have to find a way to make it through the rest of the season without their best pitcher. Their current rotation consists of Max Fried, new signees Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez, and Charlie Morton. It's unclear yet what Atlanta's plan will be to fill the massive hole left by Spencer Strider's injury. Darius Vines earned the start against the Astros on Monday.
Perhaps the team will call up some of their top prospects. AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep are likely going to see time on the mound this season to assess whether they can make it big in the league. They could also go with the more experienced Bryce Elder, or even Dylan Dodd.
The Braves, minus Albies, are back in action against Houston on Tuesday evening.
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