Braves Place Yastrzemski on IL, Bring Back Up Prospect Arm

As the All-Star break approaches, the Atlanta Braves are handed yet another injury. The team announced Saturday afternoon that Mike Yastrzemski is bound for the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation.

In his place, outfielder Brewer Hicklen is headnig to the majors.

In other moves, Owen Murphy has been recalled, while James Karinchak has been optioned. Jose Azocar has been outrighted to Triple-A, and AJ Smith-Shawver's shift to Gwinnett was made official.

Yastrzemski was heating up in the lead-up to this IL stint. Over his last seven games, he was batting .350 with a 1.208 OPS. He was on a five-game hitting streak and belted a grand slam on Thursday in the Braves' 10-5 win over the Pirates.

Hicklen has been one of the better bats in the Stripers' outfield this season. He's batting .300 with a .882 OPS. If needed, he can also serve as a pinch runner. The Braves recently added him to the 40-man roster to keep him in the system.

He'll provide an outfield bat while the usual man is on the mend.

Murphy made his major league debut on July 6 in the 10th inning against the New York Mets. Apart from a pitch or two, he was actually solid, but he allowed two runs, including one that was earned. He notched his first strikeout and took the loss.

He'll likely see action out of the bullpen. Reynaldo López and JR Ritchie are penciled in to start the remaining games of the series in St. Louis against the Cardinals. Murphy serves as a fresh arm to get to the break.

On Friday night, Chris Sale only made it three innings due to a rain delay.

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