Outside of a pitcher displaying elbow or shoulder discomfort, there might not be a more common and devastating injury in baseball than a batter taking one off the hand. At first, it seemed like Ozuna had avoided a catastrophic injury when the club announced he was day-to-day with a right-hand contusion.
However, it turned into much more grim news. Brian Snitker told reporters that he would go to the hospital to undergo further tests and that he couldn’t even take off his batting guard once he got back to the dugout.
Thankfully, it does, in fact, seem the Braves and Ozuna avoided a serious injury. The burly veteran told reporters that tests came back negative, and he’s still day-to-day with a right wrist contusion.
Since the calendar turned to the month of May, the Big Bear has seemingly turned the clock back to 2020, becoming one of the most productive hitters in baseball. Over that span, he’s accumulated an OPS north of 1.000 thanks to 11 home runs and a .325 average. That’s a 33-game sample size and enough to believe this version of Ozuna is here to stay.
Hopefully, The Big Bear can rejoin the lineup soon. The Braves will be able to navigate the waters if he needs some time off, but the time off could negatively affect Ozuna’s approach at the plate. Then again, Orlando Arcia was on the IL for about 20 games and didn’t miss a beat. The Braves are a better team with Marcell Ozuna in the lineup; heal up, Big Bear!
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Photographer: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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