Inciarte to undergo MRI after hamstring injury

ATLANTA -- As Ender Inciarte struggled to walk as he exited SunTrust Park on Friday night, the Braves prepared to place yet another key player on the injured list for an extended period of time.

While there’s a chance Inciarte could miss the remainder of the regular season, the Braves will not know the significance of his right hamstring injury until an MRI exam is performed Saturday.

“They’re going to get him looked at tomorrow and they’ll get what the severity of the hamstring is,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It didn’t look good.”

Inciarte injured his hamstring as he rounded third before scoring on Matt Joyce’s two-run single during the second inning of Friday night’s 8-3 loss to the Dodgers. He was in obvious pain as he hopped down the line and scored before going straight to the clubhouse.

The Braves have benefited from the offensive resurgence of Inciarte, who entered Friday having hit .318 with a .991 OPS over his past 19 games. The three-time Gold Glove Award winner has also significantly improved Atlanta’s outfield defense since returning from a back ailment that caused him to miss two months earlier this season.

“He’s been doing great and getting big hits,” Snitker said. “It’s a tough loss when you lose guys up the middle.”

Inciarte is destined to be placed on the Braves’ injured list, which currently includes Nick Markakis (out until mid-September with a left wrist fracture), Dansby Swanson (out at least another week with a bruised right heel) and Austin Riley (out approximately two more weeks with a right knee sprain).

Ronald Acuña Jr. will likely now be primarily used in center field. The most likely candidate to fill Inciarte’s roster spot is Adam Duvall, who was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett Friday afternoon to create room for the addition of a reliever.