House That Hank Built
Fansided

It’s broken: Atlanta Braves 1B Freddie Freeman out for 2 months

By Alan Carpenter

May 17, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) is checked by the trainer while standing next to manager Brian Snitker (43) after being hit by a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) is checked by the trainer while standing next to manager Brian Snitker (43) after being hit by a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays during the fifth inning at SunTrust Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The news is almost as bad as we had feared:  Freddie Freeman is going to be out for a while.

A source has told Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that Atlanta Braves first baseman extraordinaire Freddie Freeman has a fractured left wrist, the result of being hit by a pitch from the Blue Jays’ Aaron Loup last night.

He also reports that the wrist is now in a cast, but at least there’s the slight silver lining that surgery will not be required, which would likely have cost another month of time off.

Replacement?

No announcement has been made yet, but speculation is pointing to the callup of Rio Ruiz from AAA Gwinnett… at least for the short term.  His presence would at least allow John Coppolella to avoid having to make a trade out of ‘need’.

More from Tomahawk Take

How that will exactly work on the field is anyone’s guess, though.  Ruiz is a third baseman, and has not been at first base.  But others have occasionally filled in on that side of the diamond, including Jace Peterson and Nick Markakis.

It would be nice to see Ruiz (a LHH) have a shot vs. right-hand pitching, which is the likely scenario.  Johan Camargo – called up to spell Adonis Garcia while he is on the DL – can thus remain as the super-utility guy while Jace takes first.

As for the longer term… that’s open to speculation.  The ‘trading season’ will begin soon, and that will open up several possibilities… depending on how Coppy wants to proceed.

While the Braves are now in second place(!), that’s not likely to suddenly turn this team into a frenzied deadline buyer  The “plan” will likely to be to stay the course and choose opportunities when they present themselves – not when whim and happenstance seem to dictate terms against you.

UPDATE: Braves are expecting Freddie Freeman to miss 10 weeks. Rio Ruiz has been called up from Triple-A Gwinnett

Next: Here's a bright spot for tonight...

So… while we await the official announcements, that appears to be the way the stars are re-aligning.

Home/Braves News