Atlanta dodges a bullet after Jarred Kelenic injury update

The Atlanta Braves are happy to leave Boston after splitting a quick two-game series with the Red Sox. They were encouraged in the first game as the offense seemed to wake up behind a historic start from Max Fried.

However, Sean Murphy was hit in the elbow by a pitch late in the game and it immediately blew up. Fortunately, the swelling subsided overnight and seemed to have avoided the worst case scenario. Murphy had just returned from the IL a week ago.

Braves fans got another scare in Wednesday afternoon’s loss to the Red Sox. Outfielder Jarred Kelenic dove for a ball and made an impressive catch to end the inning. However, his wrist curled beneath him and immediately indicated that he was injured.

He was examined on the field and left on his own after examining his wrist. It seemed like the focus was more on her thumb area than her wrist. During the break between innings, the Atlanta training staff checked in on Kelenic and he hit a few hits off a tee and it looked like he had avoided disaster.

Kelenic took the field in the next inning, but he was removed by Brian Snitker when his spot in the batting order came up. After the game, Snit said his reasoning was not because Jarred was swinging the bat, but rather because Rafael Devers was hitting another home run that extended Boston’s already large lead.

It was also revealed that x-rays came back negative for Kelenic’s wrist. In his post-match comments, he said he was “lucky” to avoid serious injury and pass the strength tests. He expected it and could have hit, but Snit wanted to give JP Martinez a chance to hit.

Atlanta avoided another injury and while they have other internal options if he had been injured, it wouldn’t have been ideal. His bat has been inconsistent at times, but his defense is arguably irreplaceable in left field.

The team hasn’t announced whether he’s considered day or anything, so it’s likely Kelenic will be in the lineup as the Braves begin a four-game series with the Nationals in Washington. We will keep you updated if this changes for any reason.

Atlanta continues to suffer from an inconsistent offense and finds itself eight games behind the first-place Phillies with a 34-25 record. Hopefully their next series with Washington will help them get back on track.

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