Braves: Ozzie Albies wrist issue may be worse than initially thought

Ozzie Albies was back in the lineup Tuesday for the second straight night after missing a couple of starts last week with a minor wrist injury. And according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, the issue has bothered him for several weeks now, which may be why he’s off to a slow start, and Brian Snitker has opted to move him further down the lineup. Tuesday, Albies was batting seventh, with Dansby Swanson taking his place in the two-hole.

Ozzie is back in there, but he’s down to the seventh spot. He says the wrist has bothered him for a couple weeks. https://t.co/pbTev9Rc5C

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) August 4, 2020

Swanson’s smoking hot start probably has a lot to do with this as well. But after what happened to Soroka on Monday, the Braves cannot afford to lose any more significant pieces. Albies wrist is clearly bothering him. So much so, that in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game, he decided to hit left-handed — which is already his weaker side — against a left-handed pitcher. If it’s affecting him that much, he shouldn’t be in the game. With a ragtag rotation, Atlanta’s offense will have to carry them through this 60-game season, and Albies must return to form if they are going to win their third straight NL East title. However, losing him for a significant period could end up being the nail in the Braves coffin. 

Here’s what Brian Snitker had to say after tonight’s game:

Snitker said #Braves will consider resting Albies, whose wrist was "biting him" a little and hence the lefty at-bat against a lefty. Snit said he might've hit for him in a close game, but as it was wanted to keep him in to play defense.

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) August 5, 2020

Snitker said he was on his way to talk to trainers tonight about Albies and whether they need to rest him due to the lingering wrist soreness.

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) August 5, 2020

It’s unclear when exactly this injury began to bother the Braves second baseman. If you recall, Albies was the hottest hitter during intrasquad scrimmages, so something must have happened right before the start of the season. Albies is currently hitting a measly .159 in 46 plate appearances. We will see if he is in the lineup tomorrow as the Braves continue their three-game set with the Blue Jays.