Nick Markakis has changed his mind and will be rejoining the Atlanta Braves
By Josh Hill
Nick Markakis is going to rejoin the Atlanta Braves, and that sound you heard was Braves fans sighing in relief.
Breathe easy Braves fans, help is on the way.
Nick Markakis left a massive void in the Braves lineup when he decided to opt-out of the 2020 season when given the opportunity to do so after MLB announced its 60-game truncated season. He initially made the call after fellow teammate Freddie Freeman contracted the coronavirus and detailed the horrors of what he went through.
According to Braves beat writer David O’Brien, after missing the first week of play Markakis is going to renege on his decision to opt-out and will instead be joining the team.
“Nick Markakis is rejoining the Braves, having changed his mind since opting out of the season just over three weeks ago,” O’Brien tweeted. “Veteran outfielder is being reinstated from the restricted list.”
This is huge for the Braves, who were scrambling to replace the veteran right fielder by choosing from a very shallow pool of outfield talent on the market. An agreement had been in place to sign Yasiel Puig until he too was diagnosed with coronavirus and had to pull out of the deal.
Atlanta, picked by many to not only win the NL East but to make a serious run at a World Series this year, has gotten off to a rocky start. The team has already scapegoated Mike Foltynewicz following one bad outing and is looking to turn things around before falling too far behind in the sprint of a 60-game season.
Getting Markakis back helps ease some of the pressure, or at least adds a powerful piece to the Braves lineup that may turn things around. Atlanta’s issues were deeper than Foltynewicz and won’t solely be solved by the addition of Markakis, but it helps.
And at this point, the Braves will take as much of that as they can muster.