The Braves will place Michael Harris II on the 10-day injured checklist tomorrow, supervisor Brian Snitker instructed reporters (X hyperlink through Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Structure). Atlanta’s heart fielder got here up lame whereas working the bases in tonight’s win over the Rays. He left the sport with what the group referred to as left hamstring tightness.
Harris will go for an MRI on Saturday to find out the extent of the harm. It’s evidently severe sufficient for the Braves to rule Harris out for no less than 10 days earlier than the imaging. It appears doubtless he’ll be recognized with a pressure of some extent, although that’ll be clearer over the weekend.
The previous Rookie of the Yr has began all 67 video games in heart subject. J.P. Martínez got here off the bench to deal with the place tonight, the primary time anybody aside from Harris has performed a single heart subject inning for Atlanta this yr. Harris hasn’t an important third MLB season, delivering a .250/.295/.358 batting line by way of 278 journeys to the plate. He’d been an above-average hitter in every of his first two campaigns, rebounding from a gradual begin final season with an enormous .325/.356/.522 exhibiting within the second half.
Even with Harris struggling on the plate, he’s a tricky participant to interchange. He’s an anchor within the outfield as one of many sport’s high defensive heart fielders. The Braves don’t have a transparent choice to step into heart subject in his stead. Martínez will in all probability get the primary crack at it, however he’s a 28-year-old rookie with 53 MLB plate appearances underneath his belt. Atlanta acquired the Cuban-born outfielder in a minor commerce with the Rangers over the winter. Martínez has spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .265/.337/.394 with a 25.8 p.c strikeout charge throughout 190 plate appearances.
Snitker didn’t announce who would exchange Harris on the roster. David O’Brien of the Athletic observes (on X) that Ramón Laureano was pulled halfway by way of tonight’s recreation for Gwinnett. Laureano signed a minor league deal a few weeks in the past, shortly after he was launched by the Guardians. He has loads of heart subject expertise and will see some motion there, however he has primarily been a nook outfielder over the past three seasons.
Laureano didn’t hit in any respect for Cleveland early within the season. The fitting-handed hitter fanned in 38.6 p.c of his plate appearances en path to a .143/.265/.229 slash line over 31 video games. Laureano has been on a tear in Gwinnett, carrying a .333/.403/.593 line with a trio of homers into tonight’s motion. Atlanta would want so as to add him to the 40-man roster to deliver him up. That’s not a lot of a problem, because the Braves can transfer Spencer Strider to the 60-day injured checklist at any time when they should open a 40-man spot.
If Harris is out for an prolonged stretch, that may solely enhance the urgency for the Braves to accumulate outfield assist on the deadline. That already seemed like a precedence as soon as Atlanta misplaced Ronald Acuña Jr. to a different ACL tear. They’ve been pressured to depend on each Adam Duvall and Jarred Kelenic as on a regular basis gamers (as a substitute of their deliberate left subject platoon) since Acuña went down.
