![\"Miami](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_184,w_5068,h_2850\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/17\/01jrvqbj93kemmr1p7ha.jpg\")
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The Atlanta Braves had an emphatic win over the Blue Jays on Monday evening but they did receive bad news about one of their most dependable bats.<\/p>\n
Marcell Ozuna has been an absolute force for the Braves over the last couple of years and his presence in the lineup matters a good bit.<\/p>\n
With how poorly the Braves’ offensive performance has been so far, losing Ozuna for any period of time isn’t ideal.<\/p>\n
Ozuna ran gingerly around the bases during Sunday’s series finale in Tampa.<\/p>\n
The team reported that their designated hitter returned to Atlanta following the Rays series to get imaging done.<\/p>\n
Marcell Ozuna injury forces Braves to consider temporary DH options in Toronto<\/strong><\/p>\n Luckily, the scan results only showed inflammation in Ozuna’s hip and he is considered day-to-day.<\/p>\n Braves sent Marcell Ozuna back to Atlanta for an exploratory MRI on his hip. It showed inflammation but nothing serious. He\u2019s day to day.<\/p>\n \u2014 Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) April 14, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n The Braves will have to find a replacement for their DH during this three-game set in Toronto.<\/p>\n Bryan De La Cruz took the reins on Monday night and he continued to struggle offensively, going 0-for-4 with one strikeout.<\/p>\n Luckily, it didn’t matter much as the Braves slugged their way to an 8-4 victory. Atlanta could have used Drake Baldwin in the DH spot and they still might.<\/p>\n He has struggled against lefties so far with a .111 average over nine at-bats.<\/p>\n Former Brave Kevin Gausman will pitch against Spencer Schwellenbach on Tuesday so Baldwin could easily DH.<\/p>\n Atlanta could also consider calling up Alex Verdugo, but it’s unclear how likely that is to happen at least for the Blue Jays series.<\/p>\n If it were a longer absence from Ozuna, the team would probably need to consider bringing up someone like Verdugo.<\/p>\n For now, using De La Cruz or Baldwin in that spot should be good enough to get the job done.<\/p>\n The lineup looked much weaker on paper without Ozuna in the lineup, but the top of Atlanta’s lineup stepped up to fill the void on Monday.<\/p>\n It’s an extremely encouraging sign to see the team capitalize with runners on base after a putrid start to the 2025 season.<\/p>\n Atlanta has yet to win back-to-back games this season and they’ll try to change that Tuesday.<\/p>\n They need to find a way to get a winning streak going so they can take pressure off themselves.<\/p>\n Getting Spencer Strider back Wednesday will be a huge boost and the team expects to hear an update on Ronald Acuna Jr. soon as well.<\/p>\n There’s a lot to look forward to but it would be nice to have some winning while we wait for the team to return to full strength.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Atlanta Braves had an emphatic win over the Blue Jays on Monday evening but they did receive bad news about one of their most dependable bats…. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":48664,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n