Braves lose Ozzie Albies to IL, but regain Nick Markakis to lineup

As Ozzie Albies hits the IL, Nick Markakis returns to the Atlanta Braves.

With Ozzie Albies going on the IL, Nick Markakis will make his return to the Atlanta Braves.

On Wednesday morning, the Braves tweeted the following transactions after Tuesday night’s 10-1 victory over the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. “The Braves today placed INF Ozzie Albies (right wrist bone contusion) and INF Matt Adams (strained left hamstring) on the 10-day injured list, recalled C Alex Jackson to Atlanta and reinstated OF Nick Markakis from the restricted list.”

Albies hasn’t been himself this season at the plate for Atlanta. The 2019 Silver Slugger award winner was slashing .196/.273/.468 in 11 games for the Braves. His wrist is clearly bothering him, as he’s hitting well below 100 points of his career batting average of .276. First baseman/designated hitter Matt Adams joins him on the IL with a hamstring issue.

While losing both of them hurts the versatility of the lineup, calling up backup backstop Alex Jackson and reinstating outfielder Nick Markakis is a huge boost for Atlanta. Though it’ll be interesting to see how Jackson is used by Braves skipper Brian Snitker, we know exactly what he has in store for the versatile pro’s pro that is Markakis. It’s fantastic to have him back in Atlanta.

Nick Markakis’ return to the team is exactly what the Atlanta Braves need.

Though he lacks the power at the plate provided by Adams or Albies, Atlanta gains so much with Markakis’ return. He’ll give Atlanta even more defensive versatility in the outfield as a three-time Gold Glove recipient. Snitker can feel confident about penciling him into the lineup every day, whether that’s in right field, at designated hitter or possibly spell Freddie Freeman at first.

Markakis famously opted out of the 2020 MLB season after hearing what Freeman went through in his battle with the coronavirus. However, after watching his teammates battle on television, Markakis became the first player to opt back into playing ball this season. Being that he’s one of the savviest ball players of the last decade-plus, his return to Atlanta comes at a critical time.

Atlanta has to figure out how to win consistently with a starting rotation that is in complete disarray. Max Fried has no choice but to be the team’s ace now that Mike Soroka succumbed to a torn Achilles’ tendon on Monday night’s loss to the arch rival New York Mets. Simply put, Atlanta has to outscore everybody if the Braves want to contend for a World Series championship.

While Albies and Adams are on the mend, look for Markakis and Jackson to step up in their place.