Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies left Monday night's game against the Washington Nationals in the fifth inning after fracturing his foot, according to the club.
Albies, 25, appeared to suffer the injury as he attempted to exit the batter's box following a swing. Take a look:
Albies entered Monday hitting .246/.288/.408 (90 OPS+) with eight home runs on the season. Albies' marks were below his normal standard. A two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award recipient, he hit .277/.329/.492 (109 OPS+) with 60 home runs between 2019-21.
"I hate it for Ozzie, and I hate it for us," manager Brian Snitker said via MLB.com. "It's unfortunate, but it's one of those things. He'll be fine. He's young. He'll heal quick, but I just hate it for the kid because he loves to play baseball and he's such a big part of our club."
Albies was replaced at second base by utility player Orlando Arcia.
It's unclear how long Albies will miss -- the club hasn't yet put a timetable on his potential return -- but the Braves do not have an abundance of infield depth from which to call upon. Recent waiver claim Kramer Robertson, formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals, might be their best internal option. Alternatively, the Braves could bring up prospect and former first-round pick Braden Shewmake, yet he's hit just .266/.320/.384 in 48 Triple-A games this season.
Atlanta's farm system also employs a number of other somewhat recognizable veteran utility types, such as Pat Valaika, Hernán Pérez, and Ryan Goins. None of them are on the 40-player roster, however, which would seem to give Robertson a leg up.
Albies is the latest notable loss for the defending world champions. Once he's placed on the injured list, he'll join a collection that includes starting outfielder Eddie Rosario, starting pitcher Mike Soroka, and high-leverage relievers Luke Jackson, Tyler Matzek, Collin McHugh, and Kirby Yates.
Nevertheless, the Braves entered Monday riding a majors-leading 11-game winning streak.
