Atlanta Braves News: Max Fried, Ozzie Albies Out Indefinitely, Nacho Alvarez Set for Promotion, More

Once again, the Braves struggled in an actual game on a Sunday, as they suffered a 6-2 loss to the Cardinals. The result was very significant as the Cardinals won two of three games over the last two days, gaining a game in the standings over the Braves for the top spot in the National League Wild Card.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the worst news of the day. Early Sunday, Dylan Dodd was recalled to Atlanta while Max Fried was placed on injured reserve with left forearm neuritis. With the news coming out of the blue and the fact that Max Fried missed most of his 2023 season with forearm issues, there was plenty of immediate cause for concern. However, while an exact recovery time is unknown, the reaction from Fried and Brian Snitker appears positive, as an MRI revealed no structural damage and the Braves are hopeful he can return to the mound soon.

As Sunday’s game drew to a close, second baseman Ozzie Albies left the field in obvious pain due to a wrist injury. It seemed pretty certain that the injury was significant, as Brian Sniter indicated after the game. The end result was a broken left wrist, with Albies expected to return in eight weeks.

Overall, this particular Sunday was pretty devastating for the Braves. While it seems realistic to see Fried and Albies back at some point this year, it’s unclear how much they’ll be able to contribute down the stretch of the season or how long the injury concerns will linger. What is clear is that the Braves will have plenty of questions to answer in the coming days and weeks to fill the big holes in their lineup and rotation. Additionally, the 2024 MLB trade deadline just got a lot more interesting from the Braves’ perspective.

Braves News

One of the immediate moves Atlanta is considering in response to Albies’ injury would be to promote top position prospect Nacho Alvarez to Atlanta. Alvarez has been very impressive at the plate in recent weeks in Gwinnett, so the Braves are hoping he can bring an immediate spark to the lineup.

Atlanta will have to put all of Sunday’s bad news behind them as they welcome the Reds to town for a three-game series. It’ll be a series the Braves need and should win, especially with Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez starting pitching.

Atlanta continued to make progress toward signing its entire 2024 MLB draft class.

One impressive bright spot from Sunday was that Braves 2023 draft pick Drue Hacknenberg produced 16 strikeouts in seven innings for Double-A Mississippi.

For the AJC, Justin Toscano discussed Max Fried’s comments about his injury while Gabe Burns provided more details on Albies.

The Athletic’s David Obrien highlighted Fried’s frustration at missing time, as well as Albies’ injury and Alvarez’s arrival.

MLB News

Shohei Ohtani did it again by hitting one of the longest home runs in Dodger Stadium history.

The Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed four new members on Sunday, including Adrian Beltre, Todd Helton and Joe Mauer.

Yordan Alvarez hit a cycle in the Astros’ loss to the Mariners in a key American League West battle. For the Mariners, early reports were positive about Julio Rodriguez’s injured ankle.

The Phillies beat the Pirates 6-0 while the Marlins beat the Mets on Sunday.

The Dodgers and Orioles are both pursuing Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in trade talks, as multiple reports now suggest interest from both suitors.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto is starting to step up his efforts in an attempt to return from injury this season for the Dodgers.

The Mariners placed Ty France on waivers Sunday.

White Sox starter Eric Fedde could be a trade target for the Cardinals.

Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw will return this week for the Dodgers.