Atlanta Braves Rumors: Vaughn Grissom buzz, Dansby returns, will Charlie Morton come back?

Atlanta Braves Rumors: Will Charlie Morton be the same when he gets back?

While Max Fried will be available for the Braves in the NLDS, Charlie Morton will not. Morton suffered a sprained index finger and will miss Atlanta's first postseason series, at the very least. This puts the Braves in a very uncomfortable spot, as they already were short on pitching depth. Alex Anthopoulos and Co. were counting on Fried and Kyle Wright coming back and returning to form relatively quickly come the postseason. Fried has looked decent, while Wright has not. Other options, such as Michael Soroka and A.J. Smith-Shawver, are also dealing with injuries.

At the time of his injury and subsequent placement on the 15-day IL, Snitker's commentary didn't inspire much confidence that Morton would be back (or the same pitcher) for the NLCS, if Atlanta were to reach that point.

“We were looking at the calendar and it’s going to be over three weeks [of recovery],” Snitker said. “So, hopefully, best-case scenario, he could be ready for [the NLCS] if we advance.”

Best-case scenarios don't often play out in the playoffs, and Morton is getting up there in age. While it makes him more likely to risk his health, it also means the recovery time will be longer. Asking Morton to pitch in the NLCS is fine, but penciling him in as a starter at the beginning of the series feels like a stretch.

“There’s never good timing for all of that kind of stuff,” Snitker said. “But hopefully we have the depth to cover everything up and go on to be competitive.”

Morton's injury puts more pressure on Fried and Wright to contribute in the postseason rotation.