Piece by piece, the Braves are starting to look like a complete team again. Kyle Wright, Max Fried, and Collin McHugh have recently returned from the IL. Michael Harris II, Travis d’Arnaud, and Raisel Iglesias shouldn’t be too far behind. And Orlando Arcia has just provided us with a promising update in his recovery.
The Braves starting shortstop has moved from a cast to a splint, and he expects to be playing again sometime next week.
Orlando Arcia is out of his cast and into a black splint. He said his hope is to return by the next homestand, and said he’d work hard to do that.
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) April 25, 2023
Arcia says he expects to be playing by the time the Braves return from the road trip next week. When asked if he plans to be activated or to be playing rehab games at that point, he said that is not his decision
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 25, 2023
Vaughn Grissom has filled in admirably for Arcia, but the sample size has been enough for fans to realize why the team has been hesitant at starting Grissom at shortstop. Defensively, he’s not quite ready, even if he already has the talent to be a weapon with the bat.
Orlando Arcia, on the other hand, was performing like an All-Star before he suffered a micro-fracture in his wrist. Despite not playing much shortstop since the 2020 season, he looked like a Gold Glover defensively, and on offense, he’s become a much improved player, hitting .333 with a couple of homers through the first 13 games. Who knows how things will shake out for the rest of the season, but for now, it’s evident Arcia is the better option as the Braves starting shortstop.
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Photo: Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire
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