Marcell Ozuna to miss significant time for Braves with dislocated finger

Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna faces a lengthy recovery after dislocating his ring and middle finger during a slide into third base.

A tough campaign for Marcell Ozuna just got worse.

The Braves outfielder will be out for six weeks with two dislocated fingers.

He suffered the injury while sliding into third base on Tuesday night against the Red Sox. Atlanta manager Brian Snitker announced the nature of the injury after the injury, but Ozuna had to see a specialist before the team could know how long he might be out.

On Wednesday, Ozuna posted a message on his Instagram story indicating he would need six weeks of recovery.

Marcell Ozuna has had a rough start to the 2021 season for the Braves

Ozuna was an MVP candidate last season, but he’s taken a step back in 2021. This year he’s batting .213/.288/.356. He has the lowest batting average of the Braves’ six primary hitters. That’s saying something because Atlanta’s bats haven’t exactly been hot so far.

Last year he led the team with 18 home runs. This year he’s sixth on the team.

Braves fans looking for a silver lining can hope Ozuna will be able to come out of his funk with the time off.

However, pessimists will worry how much his absence will impact the lineup as they try to keep pace with the Mets. Ozuna’s production may be down, but he could have turned it around at any point. Six weeks is a long time to wait for him to come back.

On the plus side, the Braves are performing well at this moment. They have won four in a row and five in six. A four-game series with the Pirates certainly helped the win total, but they got a 3-1 victory to start their series with the Red Sox.

Game 2 against Boston will feature Guillermo Heredia in left field.