In Ozzie Albies’ absence, the Braves have not suffered. This is no surprise. They are not reliant on any one, two or three players.
With Albies down due to a broken toe, Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher have capably filled in at second base.
“Oh, it’s been awesome,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s just kind of been good to split them up, and they’ve done a great job. … They’ve both done really, really well defensively, which is the big thing. We want them to contribute and do that. They’ve turned double plays really well and played good defense, and got some big hits.”
Coming into Wednesday, Fletcher had driven in a run in each of his past two games and was 2-for-8 overall at the plate. He entered the game in the 10th inning and did not bat. After Wednesday, Guillorme is 3-for-19 with two doubles and three RBIs.
This is enough for the Braves – especially because Albies appears to be nearing a return. Atlanta didn’t need its backup infielders to produce offensively. The Braves only needed Guillorme and Fletcher to play serviceable defense, and they’ve exceeded that.
Hours before Wednesday’s game, Albies went through his latest workout. It included running the bases. He seemed to be moving around well. He’s also hitting.
“He probably could play right now if the deadline was up,” Snitker said.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Albies is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list on Friday. Nothing is for certain until it’s official, but the signs seem positive in terms of Albies returning this weekend.
This creates a question: What will Atlanta do with Fletcher?
Fletcher, who this week reached five years of major-league service time, can reject an outright assignment and collect the rest of the money on his deal. (He is owed $14 million for this season and next.) This winter and last summer, he would’ve lost that money had he rejected the outright assignments and signed elsewhere.
If the Braves wanted to preserve their depth for the time being, they could keep Fletcher and option Luke Williams. Fletcher and Guillorme are redundant on a roster, but if the Braves ever needed an outfielder, they could just get through a certain game and then call up someone the next day.
Then again, Fletcher might love playing in Atlanta enough to stay in the organization. This place could give him a chance to win.
Regardless of how this shakes out, the last week has shown that the Braves did a nice job of adding depth over the offseason. Albies hasn’t even been out for two weeks, so this is a small sample, but Atlanta has capably filled the role.
That said, Albies is, of course, irreplaceable.
Sean Murphy catching bullpen sessions
Sean Murphy (oblique strain) has reached a new level in his progression: He’s catching bullpen sessions. He caught one Tuesday, then another on Wednesday.
Catching coach Sal Fasano has increased Murphy’s activity because the catcher is able to handle it, Snitker said.
Murphy, who began playing light catch on flat ground, is now throwing harder.
“He’s turning it loose pretty good,” Snitker said. “But the big thing is going to be swinging the bat.”
And Murphy hasn’t yet taken any swings – even dry swings.
When could he start?
“I don’t know,” Snitker said.
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