Braves provide injury update on Ozzie Albies

Even though it looks like the Braves will not win another NL East title, this season isn’t over. The club remains in playoff contention as they own the final spot of the NL Wild Card, but the Cubs and Mets are right on their heels.

There’s still reason to be optimistic about a potential postseason run too. Of course, the Braves don’t have the offensive firepower to make them favorites or anything, but they have the kind of pitching staff that only comes around every couple of decades, especially the starting rotation.

Moreover, the Braves could still get back an All-Star bat or two. Austin Riley is on the injured list currently and could return, but his is much more unlikely than Ozzie Albies’ return. Riley could make it back at some point during the postseason, while Albies is expected back this month.

According to Grant McAuley, the Braves star second baseman is shooting for a mid-to-late September return.

That was the initial timeline, but Alex Anthopoulos did provide a glimmer of hope in the Braves booth a few weeks ago that an early-to-mid September return was in the cards.

Unfortunately, it looks like Ozzie Albies won’t have much time, if any at all, to get acclimated back as the Braves prepare for a potential postseason-altering series against the Mets in a few weeks.

In his place, Whit Merrifield has been pretty darn good, but the Braves could put the super utility man in the outfield when Albies returns. That would improve this lineup. Hopefully, it’s sooner than the current timeline as the Braves enter the stretch run.

READ MORE…

Alec Bohm missed a fourth straight game Tuesday night as the Phillies started a quick two-game series in Toronto.

Bohm suffered a left hand strain on an awkward swing in the first inning of last Thursday’s series opener against the Braves. He has not been placed on the injured list and manager Rob Thomson told reporters before Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays that he still doesn’t think Bohm will require time on the IL.

It does not sound, however, like Bohm will return in Toronto.

“It’s getting better but it’s not getting better as quickly as we’d thought,” he told reporters. “We just want to make sure we knock this thing out because I’m always afraid with foot injuries, hand injuries, it affects peoples swings and then you get into bad habits and lose some confidence.

“We’ll just keep monitoring it day to day. I would think probably it’s going to be Miami. It’s not going to be an IL.”

The Phillies play in Toronto Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, then have four games in Miami Thursday through Sunday. At this point, they don’t want to place Bohm on the injured list because they “don’t want to lose two or three days on the back end,” Thomson said.

Bohm is batting .290/.343/.462 on the season with a major-league-leading 44 doubles. He’s hit 13 homers and leads the Phillies with 89 RBI.