Albies heads to IL with fractured toe after HBP

HOUSTON -- Ozzie Albies added to his list of unfortunate injuries on Monday night, when his right big toe was fractured by an errant pitch.

The Braves placed Albies on the 10-day injured list and purchased David Fletcher’s contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday. An MRI exam confirmed surgery won't be needed. So, the initial hope is Albies might be sidelined for just a couple weeks.

"If I feel good in two or three days from now and I can run, yeah I'm going to be out there," Albies said. "I don't know the exact date, but I'll be back out there ready to go as soon as I feel better."

Albies’ toe was hit by a Spencer Arrighetti curveball in the second inning of Monday’s 6-1 win over the Astros. Albies played the remainder of the game, but postgame X-rays showed the fracture.

When the three-time All-Star took a few foul balls off this same toe this past weekend in Miami, the pain disappeared after a few innings. This didn't happen during Monday's game. Concern grew even greater after the game when he removed his shoe and felt more discomfort.

"This is just dumb luck right here," Braves manager Brian Snitker said. "It's just one of those things."

Albies, who's hitting .317 with two homers and an .878 OPS this year, has landed on the injured list in four of the last five seasons.

The Braves second baseman’s string of freak injuries began when he was with Double-A Mississippi in 2016. He fractured his elbow while taking a swing late that season, but still reached the Majors approximately 11 months later.

Albies missed half of the COVID-shortened 2020 season with a right wrist bone bruise, and he fractured his left foot while taking a swing during the 2022 season. His bid to be ready for the postseason that year ended one day after he completed a three-month stint on the injured list, when he fractured his right pinkie finger while sliding into second base.

"It's a freak freak injury and there is nothing I can do about it," Albies said. "I'm just going to make sure I heal faster and faster and faster and be ready to go as soon as I feel good."

Snitker said he will use matchups to determine whether to put Fletcher or Luis Guillorme at second base in Albies’ absence.

"Ozzie is a hard guy to replace," Snitker said. "This guy is an All-Star. It's just one of the things you have to do. I feel good about the guys we have to fill the void."