Atlanta Braves star Michael Harris II was forced to leave Friday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays with a concerning leg injury.
In the first inning of the contest, Harris was seen grimacing in pain while running the bases after an Ozzie Albies double. Harris apparently suffered from a hamstring injury, with a team trainer eventually meeting with him on the field and taking him out. The Braves then announced that Harris has been “removed from tonight’s game with left hamstring tightness.”
Here's the play in which Harris appeared to sustain the injury:
Harris' fellow Braves outfielder JP Martinez pinch-ran for Harris at third base. Martinez then went on to score following a Marcell Ozuna home run. He also stayed in the game to take Harris' role at center field.
Michael Harris II incident could add to Braves' injury woes
The severity of Michael Harris II's injury has yet to be know, but it's certainly not good news for the Braves. After all, they are already dealing with an injury to reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. As fans would know, Acuna is out for the season after suffering a torn left ACL in their showdown against the Pittsburgh Pirates last May.
“I hate it for the young men that it affects more than us. These guys love to play the game. When something like this happens, I hate it,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said about the injuries that his players have suffered this 2024 season, per MLB.com.
Acuna apologized to the Braves fanbase after the announcement of his injury. While he refused to say that he's “unlucky” despite suffering the second of such injury–he tore his right ACL back in 2021–fans certainly feel otherwise.
Braves fans react to Michael Harris II's injury
Sure enough, after Harris left Friday's game against the Rays, fans were quick to express their concern. After all, the Braves could no longer afford to lose another outfielder to injury after what happened to Acuna. They need as many healthy bodies as they can in their bid to stay in World Series contention.
“Can we not have a game where the team scores a bunch of runs early but loses a key player to injury? Please?” a frustrated fan pleader.
Another commenter shared, “Just fell to my knees crying in the parking lot.”
A third disappointed Atlanta faithful shared, “We cannot catch one single break. Not one.”
“Man if Harris misses any extended time, AA is gonna be working the phones even more. Hamstrings are so tricky,” a concerned social media user pointed out.
While many seem ready to give up amid the team's slew of injuries, others are taking an optimistic approach and hoping for the best for Harris.
“It's just tightness maybe nothing more so he can rest the series and be back next series,” a fan added. Another follower said, “Hope it’s more precautionary than anything.”
Another commenter observed, “No crazy pull up when he was heading into 3rd. Didn’t look in crazy pain. Just pulled it. Will sit for a few games though.”
It remains to be seen what the Braves will do with Harris moving forward. Perhaps Atlanta will be cautious and give him some much-needed rest, but hopes remain high that the injury isn't significant and that he won't need to miss several games.
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