The worst offense in the majors took a hit when the Braves learned that catcher Tyler Flowers is expected to miss about six weeks because of a fractured bone in his left hand.
Flowers originally injured the hand when he was struck by a pitch on July 1 at the Marlins. He aggravated the injury while checking his swing during his first at-bat at the White Sox on Saturday.
The Braves plan to promote veteran catcher Anthony Recker from Triple-A Gwinnett to replace Flowers on the roster. The Braves resume their schedule on Friday following the All-Star break.
Flowers is hitting .253 with a .343 on-base percentage and .425 slugging percentage. His .769 on-base plus slugging ranks second on the team behind first baseman Freddie Freeman. Flowers hit three home runs in his past seven full games before suffering the injury.
The Braves signed Flowers to a two-year contract before this season. He was expected to back up A.J. Pierzynski but has ended up splitting time with 47 starts to 42 for Pierzynski.
Pierzynski enjoyed an offensive resurgence in his first year with the Braves but is struggling at the plate this season. He’s hitting .205 with a .227 OBP and a .250 slugging percentage.
The Braves acquired Recker in a trade with the Indians on May 9. He played in 167 games for three different big-league teams from 2011-2015 while hitting .185 with a .265 OBP.
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