Atlanta Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna will be out for an extended period of time, continuing an alarming trend of injuries in the National League East division.
David O'Brien of The Athletic reported Ozuna will miss 5-to-6 weeks after dislocating two fingers in his left hand on Tuesday.
The Braves initially hoped Ozuna would not miss significant time after he suffered the injury sliding into third base during Tuesday night's win over the Boston Red Sox. However, it seems Ozuna will be out likely until the All-Star break.
The 30-year-old had gotten off to a slow start this season after signing a four-year $65 million deal with the Braves in free agency. Ozuna was slashing just .213/.288/.356, but his absence will undoubtedly still be felt in the middle of Atlanta's order.
Moreover, Ozuna's setback reflects the crazy number of injuries throughout the division.
Braves right-hander Mike Soroka is likely out until late-June after suffering a setback earlier this spring. Huascar Ynoa had been emerging as a breakout star in Atlanta's rotation, but he is also on the shelf with a broken right hand after he punched a dugout wall last week.
The Braves are hardly alone in terms of injuries. The New York Mets are practically the walking wounded, with all of Jeff McNeil, Michael Conforto and Pete Alonso all on the injured list. Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins have been without outfielder Starling Marte and preseason Rookie of the Year candidate Sixto Sanchez for quite some time.
Teams in the NL East must have something in the water, with Ozuna being the latest to go down with an injury.