Braves Star Makes Virtually Unprecedented Return From Injury

The Atlanta Braves weren't without a key member of their lineup for very long.

The Atlanta Braves have dealt with extended injury absences this season - catcher Sean Murphy, who injured his oblique in the team's season opener, has missed twenty-two games (and counting), while ace Spencer Strider will miss the entirety of the 2024 season recovering from right elbow surgery.

But they've also gotten lucky on the injury front with a few players.

Second baseman Ozzie Albies, who suffered a broken toe when hit by a pitch on April 15th against the Houston Astros, was officially activated off the injured list this morning and is expected to be back in the lineup tonight when Atlanta kicks off their weekend series against the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians.

It's a remarkably quick return for Albies, who spent only the minimum ten days on the injured list. Braves manager Brian Snitker mentioned multiple times this week that Ozzie, who took batting practice on the field on Monday and has been working out in full this week, could have played if eligible to return sooner than today.

Instead, Albies had to wait the minimum ten days for position players placed on the injured list, but no longer.

It's a surprisingly quick return for the team's second baseman, given the length of time that other MLB players have spent on the injured list after similar injuries. Per the Baseball Prospectus IL Tracker, Boston Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder broke his pinkie toe this spring and was out for 21 days, with an effective IL placement date of March 25th and an return date of April 18th.

Of the seven players that went on the injured list with some sort of injury to the toe in 2023, Cincinnati Reds hitter Nick Senzel had the shortest return, missing fourteen days of the season after surgery on the "great toe", the same one that Albies broke. But it's not a directly applicable case, as Senzel had surgery in the offseason and the rehab lingering into the season.

The closest case to Albies from last season, a fracture or severe sprain of the toe in-season, was Reds hitter Jake Fraley, who fractured his fourth toe and went on the IL August 4th, missing 28 days and being activataed on September 1st. Only twice since the shortened 2020 season has a player returned from a toe fracture in the minimum ten days: Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler in August of 2022 and Arizona Diamonsbacks pitcher Merrill Kelly in May of 2021.

But Albies, who finished the April 15th game against Houston and then went to the training staff for x-rays following the Braves win, is back and expected to return to his customary #2 spot in the lineup for tonight's game. Prior to his injury, Ozzie was batting .317/.386/.492 with two homers and 14 RBIs in 15 games.

In preparation for the activation this morning, Atlanta yesterday sent David Fletcher back to AAA Gwinnett. Contrary to previous reports, he will not be opting out of his deal and heading to free agency, as the AJC's Justin Toscano uncovered the existence of an advance consent form which allowed the Braves to send him to AAA Gwinnett within the first 45 days of the season without giving him the opportunity to opt out and retain his $14M in salary owed over the next two seasons.