Charlie Morton removed vs. Nationals as Braves pitching injury worries grow

On Friday night, the Atlanta Braves were facing the Washington Nationals. The second inning was beginning, but instead of Charlie Morton coming back into the game, they replaced him with Michael Tonkin.

According to the Braves, Morton was removed from the game due to right index finger discomfort.

Any lengthy injury could be devastating to the Braves' starting rotation, as he's one of their best pitchers.

Morton has now started 30 games in 2023. In those 30 games, he has a record of 14-12 with a 3.64 ERA in 163 innings pitched. In this game, he pitched one inning, gave up two walks, and had one strikeout.

Morton has an injury history, and due to his age, it could be harder to recover from injuries, while also being easier to get hurt. He missed most of the 2012 and 2016 seasons with injuries.

Atlanta Braves' pitching staff is already on the ropes

Earlier Friday, it was announced that Braves ace pitcher Max Fried was being placed on the 15-day injured list after sustaining a blister on his left index finger.

If Morton is now injured on top of the Fried injury, it would crush the already injured pitching staff of the Braves, who have others like Michael Soroka and several in the bullpen hurt as well. The current rotation would only have two healthy viable starters, namely Spencer Strider and Bryce Elder.

The Braves currently hold a record of 98-55 and are up by 14.0 games, clinching the division and the bye week already. However, any injuries could be dangerous and hurt their playoff odds against healthy teams like the Dodgers.

On top of this possible injury, the Braves also have Collin McHugh on the 15-day IL, and they have Nick Anderson, Michael Soroka, Dylan Lee, Yonny Chirinos, Kolby Allard, and Daysbel Hernandez all on the 60-day IL.