Just one day after returning from a broken left foot, Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies suffered a broken right pinky, the team announced Saturday night. Albies suffered the injured sliding into second base in the fourth inning of Atlanta's win against the Phillies.
Albies' injury will not require surgery, however, and he'll instead spend the next three weeks in a cast, according to MLB.com's Mark Bowman. At that point, the Braves will determine if he's able to return -- provided, of course, Atlanta remains alive in the postseason.
Here's the injury. Albies grabbed his finger and was in immediate discomfort following the slide.
"I hate it for him. My heart breaks for him," Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters after the game. "After everything he went through to get back here and then have that happen, it's just horrible for him. He was having so much fun, being the old Oz. You know, he's playing ball, what he loves to do. It's just a shame." Snitker added it's a "possibility" that Albies returns in the postseason.
As noted, Albies returned Friday from a broken foot that sidelined him three months. He went 1 for 4 with a double and drove in two runs in his first game back Friday night, and he went 1 for 1 with a walk prior to the injury Saturday.
The Braves summoned top prospect Vaughn Grissom to replace Albies last month and he did fine work, hitting .304/.355/.482 with five home runs in 31 games. He came off the bench to replace Albies following the injury Saturday night and will presumably step back in at second base.
Atlanta enter Sunday one game behind the New York Mets in the NL East at 90-55. They have a comfortable 13-game lead on a postseason berth. That said, they want to win the division and hopefully secure a bye to avoid the best-of-three Wild Card Series.
