The Braves announced that infielder Ozzie Albies has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right great toe fracture. Infielder David Fletcher has been selected to take his place on the roster. Atlanta had a couple of vacancies on its 40-man roster and won’t need to make a corresponding move in that regard.
Albies was hit on the toe by a pitch in the second inning of last night’s game against the Astros. He stayed in the game and played the rest of it, but it appears that some post-game testing revealed a fracture. The fact that he didn’t immediately leave the contest perhaps suggests it will be a brief stint on the IL, but the club hasn’t yet provided any estimates of that nature.
For however long he’s out, it will be a blow the club. Albies has been a consistently strong hitter and was out to a hot start this year. He’s hit .273/.326/.479 in his career but currently sits on a robust slash of .317/.386/.492 in 2024.
Losing that kind of production would be unwelcome at any time but it’s compounded by the fact that Atlanta is also without right-hander Spencer Strider and catcher Sean Murphy. Strider required season-ending elbow surgery recently while Murphy still has an uncertain timeline as he works his way back from an oblique strain. Even if Albies is slated for a short stint on the IL, having three key contributors all out at the same time isn’t ideal.
In the meantime, the club has Luis Guillorme on the roster and has now added Fletcher as well, with those two the likeliest to cover the keystone while Albies is out. Fletcher was acquired from the Angels in December in a move that was largely motivated by financial concerns. Atlanta took on the contracts of Fletcher and Max Stassi while shipping out Evan White and Tyler Thomas. Stassi was quickly traded to the White Sox and Fletcher was outrighted off the roster.
Atlanta took on some extra money here in 2024 by making that deal but will be paying slightly less in 2025 and 2026, while it also allowed them to retain some non-roster infield depth in the form of Fletcher. They knew this would be the case thanks to the peculiar specificity of Fletcher’s situation.
Fletcher has long been a strong defender at multiple positions but with a contact-oriented approach at the plate that generally leads to subpar offense. He had a strong performance in the shortened 2020 season, hitting .319/.376/.425 for a wRC+ of 121. The Halos decided to bank on that as a breakout by signing Fletcher to a five-year, $26MM extension going into 2021.
Unfortunately, his production dipped back down and he got nudged out of playing time for the Angels, with that 2020 season looking like a clear outlier. Though his 9.5% career strikeout rate is much stronger than league average, he’s also only walked at a 6.2% clip and hit just 16 home runs in 2,180 plate appearances. He’s hit .277/.323/.359 in his career and just .259/.296/.327 since the 2020 season.
Twice last year, the Angels passed Fletcher through waivers unclaimed, hardly a surprising outcome since any claiming club would have to take on the remainder of the contract. Since Fletcher had over three years of service time, he had the right to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency. However, since he has less than five years of service time, exercising that right would mean forfeiting what’s left of his deal. He obviously waived that right and stayed with the club, getting added back to the roster at a later date both times.
As mentioned, Atlanta also outrighted him off the roster after acquiring him, since they were undoubtedly aware of Fletcher’s position. But now the injury to Albies has opened the door for him to get back to the majors. His service time count currently sits at four years and 168 days. Since a new year rolls over at 172 days, Fletcher is just four days away from reaching the five-year plateau.
Assuming he sticks on the roster while Albies is out, that will change his status significantly. If he’s bumped off the roster again in a few weeks and clears waivers, then he could elect free agency without sacrificing any of the money on his contract. That would allow him to seek out the best situation for himself while a signing club would only have to pay him the prorated league minimum, with Atlanta staying on the hook for the remainder. He’s making $6MM this year and $6.5MM next year with an $8MM club option for 2026 that comes with a $1.5MM buyout.
For now, Fletcher will provide Atlanta with some depth all over the diamond, as he has played the three infield positions to the left of first base as well as the outfield corners, getting strong marks wherever he’s lined up.
Wish it could be just a 10-day fracture…
Ouch. Go Dodgers
The ring around the rosie with the rotation has already kept my interest in the team low. This injury is a small minor inconvenience at this point.
Looks like they will be without Albies for a couple months. Murphy STILL hasn’t begun swinging a bat. Strider out for the season. OUR PETS HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!
damn thats a huge loss
how long’s a toe need to heal?
4-6 weeks
Ask Judge
Never. I had small fractures in both of my big toes. 20+ years later and they still hurt.
damn i was not expecting so much negativity lol
i was hoping someone would say “good as new in 2 weeks!”
Ohhhh DUH! It all makes sense now, Johnny is a Braves fan. I thought he was the dumbest guy here but he’s just a troll.
Good as new in two weeks!
@Johnny utah
Maybe this is me being overly optimistic. This happened in the 2nd inning, and he was able to stay in the game and finish the game. I am hoping for 2-3 weeks tops.
But often a player feels a burst of adrenaline while still in the game dulling/masking the pain.
You get a better perspective after the game is over. And then some kind of scan or X-Ray and a tentative diagnosis.
He is a big cog in the Braves offense and defense. Plays smart (few k’s) and is clutch
If I were the Braves I wouldn’t rush him back. That’s the best way he can help his teammates IMHO.
They can be very aggravating. A lot depends on the size of the fracture and the exact location (part of toe and which toe).
I have had one on each foot before, although thankfully not at the same time. 4 to 6 weeks generally sounds correct.
You write remarkably well for one who has had one toe on each foot.
Easy to fix a busted toe. Cut it off and a new one grows back in twenty-one days. Seen it in a tv program. Gotta go. Good luck!
Toe weeks to toe months.
Last time the Braves dealt with this much they went on to win the World Series.
I NEVER count the Braves out. AA is too good.
David Fletcher beast mode engaged. Time to justify all that dead money movement.
Fletcher can’t be sent back down after this call up I believe.
Once he gets 4 more days of service time, he can refuse a minor league assignment and still keep his contract.
AA is playing 3D chess, and Allies broken toe is one of his pawns.
Good luck, Fletch!
Bog news for a particular poster.
*big
Did this have anything to do with the pitch clock? Maybe the pitch wouldn’t have been rushed and he wouldn’t have fouled it off his toe?
He didn’t foul it off…he was actually hit by the pitch.
@braves25
I heard on a baseball podcast that he fouled it off.
Yeah, the opposing pitcher spiked a fastball trying to avoid a PCV (pitch clock violation).
Man, Albies got Destroyed on that contract !
As much as he’s injured I’d say it’s a pretty fair contract to this point….When Albies is healthy he way out performs the contract, but the other half he’s injured and not playing at all….. Win-Win contract so far
Someone call a toe truck.
In all seriousness, I’m curious to hear what Braves fans think, but I see Albies as sort of the heart and soul of this Braves team. He’s Mr. Consistent. He’s not necessarily as explosive as Acuna or Olson, but he’s always very good.
I kind of think Riley is the piece that they can’t lose.
I hope Braves fans come to love Fletch as much as Angels fans. Hes a solid defender at 2B, 3B and SS. Very quick release and crazy accurate. He can bunt and hit to the right side to move up a runner. In short, Fletch does a lot of little things that don’t show up in the box score that help a team win. FLETCH LIVES!!!
Jays have 4 mlb second baseman , various cost, IKF , Biggio , Clement, Schneider , all better options than Fletch. AA very familiar with Biggio. Can play elsewhere too when Ozzie comes back.
I’d try to get a Biggio. Not sure the cost
A lot and then some more. Punting the season by the third week of April won’t bode well for Jays fans.
That may be the longest dissertation on David Fletcher that’s ever been constructed.
Was thinking the same…I couldn’t finish the article, and I read like everything. But this was too much David Fletcher.
Time for Fletch to shine. Dude is awesome when allowed to play regularly. He’s a scrappy defender and could be a great lead off guy.
Not for the Braves. They got the best one in baseball.
NOOOOOOO! He’s on my fantasy team!! Hope he gets healthy soon!
You must be fun at parties
Dude…it was a joke. Sorry if I hurt your feelings
Not on my fantasy team. So happy
Good for you. Think I care?
Someone’s triggered
Well I’ll be
Let’s see if Scott Fletcher was worth it.
It’s the pitch clock. Had he not had to be in the box so quickly this would have never happened.