CINCINNATI — Things just got tougher for the struggling Braves, when team home-run leader Kelly Johnson was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained oblique muscle after leaving Wednesday's game against the Reds in the first inning.
“It was an oblique, and so we’re going to DL him,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “It’s one of those things, with those obliques we don’t mess with them. Those things will linger. Todd Cunningham will meet us in Miami.”
Outfielder Cunningham, batting .291 with no homers and a .362 on-base percentage at Triple-A Gwinnett, was recalled and will join the Braves in Miami for a three-game series that starts Friday. He’ll fill Johnson’s roster spot but certainly won’t provide his power or fill the cleanup spot where Johnson hit recently behind Freddie Freeman.
“Yeah, he’s been a guy that can hit behind Freeman against right-handers and at least give the opposing manager some thought about putting Freeman on and pitching around him,” Gonzalez said. “But we’ll figure it out, who’s going to hit behind him.”
Johnson felt a twinge in his right side during batting practice but said he thought he could play through it. He knew otherwise after taking a couple of swings — a foul tip and a swing-and-miss — in his first-inning at-bat against the Reds. He left the game after talking briefly with head trainer Jeff Porter near the batter’s box.
“Probably the last round of batting practice, I felt something,” said Johnson, 33. “I guess I just didn’t really want to believe it was anything and I could take care of it, and do some things in the weight room to take some pressure off it and get it loose. I definitely feel bad for handcuffing Fredi, and obviously any time you have to have somebody come in for you on an 0-2 count, you don’t feel good about that.”
Jonny Gomes finished the at-bat by lining out to center to end the inning, then replaced Johnson in left field.
The loss of Johnson is a significant blow for the Braves, both because of the flexibility he provides – he’s started 23 games at three different positions, including 17 in left field and four at third base – and the surprising power he’s contributed to the lineup.
He was batting .259 with a team-high six homers and 18 RBIs in 81 at-bats before Wednesday, including .284 with six homers and 18 RBIs in his past 21 games. He was tied for the team RBI lead with Freddie Freeman, who had 18 in 45 more at-bats than Johnson before Wednesday.
“It’s just unfortunate,” Johnson said. “I was hoping it was – you know, everybody has stuff, little pains – so anything like that I’ve had in the past you just deal with it and it goes away and it’s not a big deal. But after swinging and missing that first pitch, I kind of knew right away that something wasn’t right.”
After coming to spring training as a non-roster invitee and earning a bench job on the opening-day roster, Johnson hit so well that he’d been in the lineup in 16 of the past 18 games, starting most in left field and also giving the Braves a third-base option along with Albert Callaspo while Chris Johnson has been on the 15-day DL with a wrist injury.
Now, he’s sidelined for at least the next 15 days.
“You say, why does something like that happen, you know?” Johnson said. “Just the way it is. Baseball.”
Gonzalez said he would likely use the switch-hitting Cunningham in some games in left or center field, perhaps as a backup to center fielder Cameron Maybin or splitting time with Maybin. Jonny Gomes has started in left field in all games against lefties and some righties, and is now likely to get more playing time.
“Maybe he can play with Maybin in center field,” Gonzalez said. “The days you want to play him you could play (Cunningham) in center and put EY (Eric Young Jr.) in left. Or if you want to play Maybin in center you could put EY or Cunningham in left field. But he (Cunningham) has been swinging the bat good. Hitting (.291).”
