Ronald Acuña Jr. was out of the lineup for Friday’s series opener between the Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers. Acuña suffered an ankle injury in Thursday’s loss to the Blue Jays. X-Rays were negative and he was declared day-to-day. Brian Snitker did say that there was a chance that Acuña would be ready to go on Saturday.
“The training staff said they’ll treat him today and see where he’s at,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said prior to Friday’s game. “They said, there’s a chance he could get all the swelling out and be good to go tomorrow.”
Ehire Adrianza started in place of Acuña in right field Friday night.
More Braves News
The Braves snapped their losing skid with a 6-3 win over the Brewers. Marcell Ozuna and Ozzie Albies hit back-to-back homers while Drew Smyly turned in a solid performance on the mound.
Veteran catcher Tyler Flowers is calling it quits after 12 seasons in the big leagues. Flowers, who recently signed a minor league deal, is reportedly dealing with degenerative discs in his back. He will continue to work with the Braves assisting in game planning.
In other catcher news, the Braves signed veteran catcher Jonathan Lucroy to a minor league deal. He will head to Triple-A to provide insurance for William Contreras and Jeff Mathis at the Major League level.
MLB News
The Angels will push Shohei Ohtani’s next scheduled start back due to fatigue. Ohtani has been pulling double duty as a two-way player in 2021 and manager Joe Maddon said that he appears to be run down in recent days.
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto returned to the starting lineup Friday just one day after he was placed on the COVID-19 injured list. Realmuto was cleared to return by the league Friday after he felt ill and experienced flu-like symptoms earlier in the week.
The Cardinals placed shortstop Paul DeJong on the 10-day injured list Friday with a non-displaced rib fracture. An MRI taken Thursday revealed a significant contusion after he was hit by a pitch on Tuesday.
Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks suffered a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist and is headed for the injured list.
Padres reliever Drew Pomeranz was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday due to a left shoulder impingement. San Diego selected the contract of infielder Ivan Castillo to fill Pomeranz’s spot on the active roster.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed right-hander Nate Jones to a minor-league deal and assigned him to Triple-A. Jones was designated for assignment and released by the Braves earlier this week.