Braves infielder/outfielder Micah Johnson has been diagnosed with a left wrist fracture, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on Twitter. He will require surgery for the injury; his timeline to return is not known at this time.
Johnson, 26, hurt his wrist in an attempt at a catch recently. Though it was initially believed that he had escaped significant injury, ensuing tests identified the fracture.
Though Johnson has spent most of his professional time at second base, he has increasingly been looked upon as an outfielder. Atlanta acquired him from the Dodgers in mid-January in exchange for cash or a player to be named later.
A left-handed hitter, Johnson had seemed unlikely to crack the MLB roster to open the season. Jace Peterson remains ahead of him on the depth chart in the infield, and the club is said to be interested in using its last open bench spot on a right-handed-hitting, center-field-capable player.
Still, Johnson figures to be one of the Braves’ top depth options, so long as he can return to health. Once seen as a potential future regular with the White Sox, the speedy Johnson struggled in his MLB debut in 2015 and hit just .261/.321/.356 with 26 steals at Triple-A last year. But he did produce a strong .315/.375/.466 batting line with 28 swipes over 351 plate appearances at the highest level of the minors in 2015.
My guy is made of glass. Micah Johnson had a surgically repaired elbow in college which impacted his arm strength, pretty much limiting him to 2B, LF or DH in his pro career. He’s also had an assortment of leg injuries that have landed him on the disabled list numerous times and hampered his biggest weapon, elite 80 grade speed. And now he fractures his wrist attempting to catch a ball. It’s almost getting to the point where he needs to start thinking of pursuing his other career ambition, that of a MLB front office executive.
Whatever his future holds, he is a smart and determined young man and should find success, hopefully in baseball. Best of luck, Micah!