Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna injured himself on a slide Tuesday night in Fenway Park. It's apparent immediately that something went very wrong with a couple of his fingers.
After the game, Braves manager Brian Snitker said Ozuna dislocated both the ring and middle fingers on his left hand. Wednesday. Ozuna posted a message to Instagram saying he's going to miss six weeks. He'll need the time for both fingers to heal and then work his swing back into shape, likely with a minor-league rehab assignment, so we'll call this at least six weeks the Braves will be without his services.
Here's the footage of the injury:
Ozuna overall is having a rough season, slashing .213/.288/.356, but in his last four games he was 5 for 14 with three doubles and a home run. He flirted with the NL triple crown last season and finished sixth in MVP voting, so his bat becoming a force in the middle of the lineup for the Braves again is something that could really push them forward.
The Braves have been heating up, too, having won four straight games to climb to .500 at 24-24. They haven't been above .500 all season.
Without Ozuna, it looks like Guillermo Heredia takes over in left field every day. The good news for Atlanta is Heredia has hit the ball really well so far in 2021. He's hitting .290/.380/.507 with nine doubles, two homers and 10 RBI in 79 plate appearances. He's only a career .243/.320/.354 hitter, however, and, at age 30, a breakout season would be pretty surprising.
Further, it's probably way too early for the Braves to be able to pull off a needle-moving trade. More likely, they'll hope for good work from backup players before Ozuna can return and provide a boost for the second half.