The Atlanta Braves have been plagued by injuries to their pitching staff early on this season. They're starting to lose position players now too. The Braves announced Thursday that shortstop Orlando Arcia is heading to the injured list with a microfracture in his left wrist.
Arcia was hit in the wrist during his first plate appearance on Wednesday and was immediately removed from the game. The 28-year-old earned the starting shortstop position in spring training and has been fantastic for the Braves to start the season. Through 13 games Arcia has a .333 batting average with four extra-base hits and seven RBIs. He has not made an error on 61 chances this season.
The Braves chose Arcia over Vaughn Grissom who was widely expected to take over at shortstop after the departure of Dansby Swanson. They are likely to call up Grissom in the wake of Arcia's injury.
Grissom's defense has been a concern at the major league level, but his bat has a chance to match the productivity that Arcia has provided so far. In 10 games with the Gwinnett Stripers, Atlanta's triple-A team, Grissom has a 366/.458/.585 slash line.
Despite a plethora of injuries, the Braves are 9-4 to start the season and sit in first place in the NL East standings in the early portion of the season. Atlanta should be getting back some of their arms soon, including ace Max Fried.
Orlando Arcia's injury is a big blow to Atlanta's defense, but don't be surprised if the Braves don't miss a beat in his absence. They have one of the deepest 40-man rosters in the league and are built to withstand multiple key injuries.
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