Injuries are never funny, but it has gotten to the point of comedy when discussing the number of issues the Braves have dealt with this year on the injury front, and today was almost the cherry on top.
Following the news that Ozzie Albies fractured his wrist and will miss most of the rest of the regular season, the Braves inked veteran utility man Whit Merrifield to a deal. He arrived to Truist Park earlier this afternoon ahead of his first game with Atlanta, and before even appearing in a game, he’s already dealing with an injury.
As Brian Snitker put it, “Can’t make this up… This year is something else.”
You might not believe it, but it’s true: Whit Merrifield took a ball off a finger of his throwing hand while taking grounders an hour ago, is being evaluated now to make sure there’s no damage.
As Snitker said, managing to smile, “Can’t make it up….This year is something else.”
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 22, 2024
Merrifield immediately went in for further tests on the finger. Thankfully, the X-Rays were negative. He’s considered day-to-day and might even be available tonight.
After the injury scare during fielding practice, Whit Merrifield checked out fine and should be available for the #Braves tonight.
— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) July 22, 2024
Nobody should be expecting Merrifield to have a significant role in Atlanta, and he might not even be on the roster for very long, depending on what happens ahead of the trade deadline. Still, this situation is the perfect microcosm of the Braves 2024 campaign.
Whatever can go wrong, has gone wrong. Despite that, the trade deadline is around the corner, and there’s still an opportunity to salvage the season, which Alex Anthopoulos will attempt to do before the calendar turns to August.
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Photo: Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire
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