The Atlanta Braves are being tested.
Yes, it's still very early in the MLB season, but they have already been the victim of a rash of injuries to important pieces on the roster. After sustaining a concussion in yesterday's clash with the San Diego Padres, Travis d'Arnaud joined Max Fried, Michael Harris, Kyle Wright, Raisel Iglesias, and Collin McHugh on the Injured List.
Abe Gordon discussed the worrying situation for the Braves and whether or not he believes that they are built to weather this sort of storm as the season begins to heat up.
"[The Braves] are missing key cogs at every level," Abe said about the current injury status of the team. "Like I mentioned, two out of the rotation, two out of the bullpen, and two guys who are normally in one way or another in your starting lineup."
Fortunately for the Braves, none of the injuries appear to be long-term. The majority, if not all, will be returning to the roster by mid-to-late April.
In the meantime, though, the roster has shown weaknesses that will likely need to be addressed.
"I think the biggest loss for you right now is the Harris/d'Arnaud combo because the back end of your lineup is pretty weak," Gordon continued. "Hilliard, Ozuna, Rosario, and Arcia. [Orlando Arcia] has been off to a great start, but I'm not exactly counting on him. Rosario is cool, but like I'm not exactly counting on him. I expect nothing from Ozuna [and] nothing from Hilliard. So the bottom half of the lineup is a problem, which means you're asking too much of Acuña, Olsen, Riley, Murphy, and Ozzie Albies."
The hitting from left field, especially, has left a lot to be desired. Through nine games, the combined group has contributed a .325 OPS (on-base plus slugging) -- only the Miami Marlins are worse. Due to the injuries sustained this week to d'Arnaud and Harris, the Braves will depend heavily on them to elevate their play at the plate.
"This team is not very deep and not well prepared to deal with injuries, and that's something that Alex Anthopoulos is gonna have to take a look at," he finished explaining about the depth of the roster behind its potent starting group. "You're weak at catcher, you're weak at backup first base, you're weak in the outfield [behind Acuña and Harris]. There are some additions that are going to have to be made."
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