The Braves are in the midst of an impressive 12-game win streak, but they lost one of their key weapons on Monday night. During an at-bat Albies swung at what should have been ball four on a full count. His leg twisted awkwardly and he crumbled to the ground in pain. While Ozzie was able to walk off gingerly, he had to be helped down the dugout steps.
An x-rays revealed a fracture to his left foot. Now there are a few questions that still need to be answered before we can have a clearer picture of his recovery time. How much time Albies misses will depend on which bone was fractured (or bones – this could be multiple fractures), the severity of the fracture and if he needs surgery. Expect more tests on Tuesday to further evaluate the injury. An x-ray does a good job of quickly looking at damage to the bone, but there are other types of scans such as a CT that can provide a more detailed look. At the end of Ozzie’s swing his foot/ankle appeared to shift, leaving some concern that he suffered a torn Achilles. This injury comes with a much more optimistic long-term outlook, but that shift could mean this is a severe fracture(s).
Even if this is a simple non-displaced fracture to just one bone, Ozzie would be looking at a minimum 6-8 week recovery (although 6 weeks is incredibly optimistic and not realistic). Albies will likely land on the 60-day IL. If this is a non-displaced fracture or there are multiple broken bones his recovery could extend to 10-12 weeks. That means the Braves have a shot at getting their second baseman back ahead of the playoffs, but late August is a best-case scenario. They need to prepare to have him sidelined through September.
