Marcell Ozuna is once again out of the starting lineup for the Atlanta Braves. Drake Baldwin will get the starting job as the designated hitter while Sean Murphy will be behind the dish.
Seeing the 2024 All-Star out of the lineup again led to some stir online. The trade deadline is looming. It’s looking pretty good that the Braves will sell. Perhaps the time has arrived. That doesn’t seem to be the case, at least for now.
Manager Brian Snitker told MLB.com’s Mark Bowman that the most productive players will be in the lineup going forward. He didn’t talk to Ozuna about his intention to have the two catcher alternate their roles in the lineup. The word came in an announcement that Snitker made to the team.
This doesn’t mean that Ozuna won’t be traded over the next couple of weeks – this is not Snitker’s words, this is an analysis – but these decisions aren’t an indicator of whether a move is about to happen. There are reports that a move is likely, but there are no credible reports that a move is about to happen.
Ozuna hasn’t played the same since he sustained a hip injury in late April. Over the last 60 games, he’s batting .217 with a .684 OPS with eight home runs and 30 RBIs. He’s had his clutch moments during that span, but they’ve become hard to come by.
Snitker had emphasized giving him the chance to play through his struggles and see if he can figure it out. That patience is starting to wear thin. The Braves are running of race track for any hope of a turnaround.
They sit at 43-53 on the season and are nine and half games back from a wild card spot.
