The Braves placed second baseman Ozzie Albies and first baseman Matt Adams on the injured list Wednesday morning. They recalled catcher Alex Jackson and reinstated Nick Markakis from the restricted list to fill the open roster spots.
Albies has dealt with right-wrist soreness over the past two weeks (the team designated the injury as a bone bruise). It’s affected his performance, with the 23-year-old hitting .159/.196/.273 over 11 games (44 at-bats). Manager Brian Snitker indicated Monday night that the Braves were seriously considering giving him an extended break.
“It’s tough, but I told him yesterday, my gut says we just need to shut you down and let you get better,” Snitker said Wednesday. “He’s a kid who’s on the ground a lot. He dives, slides; I didn’t want him to have to be weary of that. That was part of it, too. So we’ll try to get him healed up.”
Snitker isn’t sure Albies will be ready to return when his 10-day IL stint expires. He’ll be shut down from throwing and hitting for the next week.
“I don’t have any idea (when he could return),” Snitker said. “We’ll shut him down here for a week or so from throwing, hitting, all that. He’ll get treatment. We told him it might take two weeks. Who knows? He might be better in eight days and be ready to come back. I don’t have any idea.”
Utilityman Charlie Culberson started at second base Wednesday. Adeiny Hechavarria has played second this season, while Johan Camargo has logged games at second in the past. The Braves are well-covered in Albies’ absence.
Adams suffered a strained left hamstring while running out a grounder in Tuesday’s win over the Blue Jays. He left the game early. Signed just before opening day, Adams has helped the Braves as a designated hitter, homering twice and knocking in seven runs in 10 games. Snitker said Tuesday night it will “take a while” until Adams is back.
Markakis originally decided against playing this season, but announced his change of heart last week. He further bolsters the team’s offense, specifically against right-handed pitching. The 36-year-old wasn’t in Wednesday’s lineup against lefty Hyun-Jin Ryu.
In Markakis, the Braves are gaining a player who hit .285/.356/.420 in 116 games last season. Most notably, Markakis hit .298/.371/.446 against right-handed pitching. He’s among the team’s top DH candidates.
“If he says his body is ready, then yeah (he’s good to go),” Snitker said. “Like I said last year, after he came back, he had one live batting practice and was ready to go. I don’t think the offensive part is going to be a problem for him. I think at 50 years old, you could bring him out of retirement, and he’ll hit. He’s just that kind of guy.”
Jackson, meanwhile, adds additional catching depth. He’s played in three games this year, going 2-for-7.
“We had a spot for the day,” Snitker said. “Just in case we need to do something. Alex is versatile, too. If something happened, he can move around, go in the outfield and whatnot. So rather than going with 29, we added him.”
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