ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies left Monday’s game against the Washington Nationals due to a fractured hamate bone in his left hand.
Albies showed discomfort in his wrist after fouling off a pitch in the third inning while batting against Washington right-hander Konnor Pilkington. He stayed in the game for one more pitch before walking toward the dugout and being attended to by Atlanta’s training staff. Nick Allen finished Albies’ at-bat and replaced him at second base at the start of the fourth inning.
“He felt something in there that was an impingement,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said after Atlanta’s 11-5 victory that extended the team’s winning streak to a season-best nine games. “(Head athletic trainer) George (Poulos) said ‘That’s kind of your hamate area.’ It was (on the swing) that he felt it and then (Poulos) said ‘Try and dry swing before you go back up there’ and (Albies) said ‘I need to shut it down.’”
The hamate bone is on the palm side of the hand near the pinky and ring fingers. Albies fractured his left wrist in July 2024 and missed two months.
The 28-year-old Albies has played in all 157 of Atlanta’s games this season. He is batting .240 with 16 home runs and 74 RBIs.
“I hate it for him,” Snitker said. “(Tuesday) will be the first game he’s missed all year. “He played a majority (of the season). (He) rallied back and had a really nice year. It’s just one of (those) tough things. It’s not an uncommon injury for hitters.
“This is a different (injury),” Snitker said referring to Albies’ 2024 wrist break. “I’ve seen guys come back from this in a month from those things. Once the calendar turns, he’ll be able to get into his offseason routine and hitting and he’ll be ready to go by spring training.”
Snitker implied that Albies will undergo surgery, although the Braves said Albies is undergoing further testing.
“(Surgery) is usually what they do when they break (the hamate) is (remove) them,” Snitker said. “It’s one of those things there that he won’t (injure) again.”
