Atlanta Braves reliever Jesse Chavez was placed on the injured list on Thursday with a shin contusion, a day after he was carried off the field after a comeback one-hopper struck him on the left leg. The ball off the bat of Tigers legend Miguel Cabrera was recorded at 99.6 miles per hour.
Here's the footage, with the highlight of the play coming around the 1:08 mark:
X-rays came back negative, but Chavez was unable to avoid the shelf. In his place, the Braves promoted right-handed reliever Ben Heller, who they only recently acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays.
Chavez has been valuable out of the bullpen this season, especially given the struggles of high-profile relievers like A.J. Minter and Raisel Iglesias at different points in the season.
In 29 innings, Chavez has a 1.55 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 36 strikeouts against nine walks. He's amassed 1.3 WAR and that isn't even far off his career high, despite it being a cumulative stat and this being mid-June. The 39-year-old Chavez is pitching in his 16th big-league season and has never been an All-Star, but he appeared to have a chance this go around.
It doesn't hurt that the Braves enter Thursday with a 42-26 record on the season, good for a 4 1/2 game lead in the National League East and the best mark on the Senior Circuit overall.
