Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies was out of the lineup Sunday, as expected, and remains a day-to-day case.
Albies left Friday’s game against the Nationals in the third inning as a precaution due to right hamstring tightness. He appeared injured after doubling in the first inning, but went on to steal third and score on Freddie Freeman’s ground out.
Charlie Culberson, who entered for Albies and homered on Friday, filled in and was scheduled to start at second on Sunday. Culberson’s slashed .296/.342/.500 over his past 49 games with an at-bat.
The Braves didn’t have update on Albies prior to Sunday’s game. He was running and participating in drills with a trainer earlier in the morning.
It’s conceivable the team may not bring him back until Thursday, especially given their cautiousness with injuries.
After Sunday’s matinee in Washington, the Braves play two games in Miami followed by a Wednesday off day. They could opt to rest Albies in the brief Marlins series, then bring him back for the opener against the Dodgers at SunTrust Park.
Albies, 21, is in the middle of his first All-Star season. He’s hit .385 since not starting for the first time June 17. His average has jumped from .248 to .283 in that time.
He’s played an integral part in the Braves’ leap to contention. Albies has 20 homers, 30 doubles and 75 runs scored on the year. The switch-hitter has done much of his damage from the second spot in the lineup, hitting .317 with a .346 on-base percentage in the two-hole.
“We’ll just go day-to-day with him, see if we can stay in front of it,” manager Brian Snitker said after Friday’s game. “I think not pushing him, that’s one of those things where if it goes, that’s a two-month thing. So we’ll try to get him some treatment and stay away from him a day or two and see how he is.”
