The Atlanta Braves have placed All-Star catcher Travis d’Arnaud on the seven-day injured list due to a concussion. He suffered the injury after colliding with Rougned Odor of the San Diego Padres on Saturday.
“He’s sore, a little fuzzy this morning. I haven’t seen him,” coach Brian Snitker said. “I meant to stop in there on my way in here, just to see because he’s coming in later to be evaluated again. [Trainer] George [Poulis] just spoke with him this morning.”
Before he was traded to Atlanta, D’Arnaud had had multiple concussions in his career. Snitker said it becomes a concern when a player has had multiple concussions, especially since they “start bruising” their brain. The team will continuously monitor his condition.
During the first eight games of the season, D’Arnaud played quite well, boasting a .333 batting average. With his absence, the Braves have brought up Chadwick Tromp, who will join Sean Murphy as the backup catcher on the team’s active roster.
Tromp previously played for the Braves only for one game last season and appeared in 33 games for the San Francisco Giants in two seasons. The 28-year-old also represented the Netherlands in this year’s World Baseball Classic, where he recorded four hits in 14 at-bats.
“That was a great experience for him,” Snitker said about Tromp’s WBC appearance. “I received texts from [Netherlands manager] Hensley Meulens during it, and they were pleased with how he handled himself.”
Snitker also admired Tromp’s excellent performance during his brief stint last year.
“I thought he did a great job when he came up here for a short time last year,” he said. “It’s good we have that kind of depth in our system where we can call on him, a guy that’s experienced and been here. He’s a guy where you know what you’re getting.”
The Braves will begin a three-game series against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday following a 10-2 loss against the Padres on Sunday.
Injury-ridden Braves
Coming into the season, the Braves talked about their roster depth. Atlanta faced several injuries to key players at the start of the MLB season, including Max Fried, Kyle Wright, Raisel Iglesias, Collin McHugh and Michael Harris II. However, these players are not suffering from long-term injuries.
Harris has been sidelined for the past two days with a lower-back injury. The outfielder hit .297 with a .853 OPS, 19 home runs and 20 stolen bases during his debut season.
“He’s coming along good. It’s probably one of those things where he feels better, but he wouldn’t be playing yet,” Snitker said of Harris. “He’s doing the exercises and everything, and it’s all going in the right direction with him. There’s no lingering things right now. It’s where they want him to be at this point.”
With injuries plaguing the team, Snitker said that the team’s depth had been tested more than they would have liked. However, he remains confident they will return their injured players soon.
“It’s starting to get thinned out now. We tested that more than we wanted,” Snitker said. “But you know what? That’s part of it here. Everybody deals with it, nobody’s insulated from it. It’s just one of those things you have to handle. I feel good that we’re going to get them back soon. We’ll take care of it right now and then get them back for the long haul.”
Despite the absence of Harris and d’Arnaud, the Braves starting rotation still possesses significant power and defensive capabilities. Nonetheless, they will have to endure the Padres’ challenge without two of their key players.