The Atlanta Braves announced that starting second baseman Ozzie Albies is heading to the injured list with a fractured toe. Albies fouled a ball off of his toe in Monday night’s game against the Houston Astros. He suffered the injury in the second inning and was able to finish the game, so early expectations are that he won’t be sidelined long.
Here is the HBP that fractured Albies’ right big toe in last night’s second inning. He played the rest of the game. This shouldn’t be a lengthy injured list stint. pic.twitter.com/xZiAZ73puJ
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 16, 2024
Albies is the latest injury for the Braves, who lost ace Spencer Strider for the season due to elbow surgery. The second baseman was batting second behind Ronald Acuna Jr. and was slashing .317/.386/.492 through 15 games. Albies had five doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI to help make up for the slow start that Acuna has had this season.
Fantasy Baseball Replacements
Albies is rostered in 99.7% of ESPN leagues. He’s headed to the IL with 57 fantasy points and was the fourth-highest-scoring second baseman in the league. Albies isn’t going to be easy to replace, especially if you didn’t draft a player with second-base eligibility. Here are some replacements to check your waiver wire for with rostership percentage courtesy of ESPN.
Jordan Westburg, Baltimore Orioles, 22.8% rostered
Given the youth movement and bringing up Jackson Holliday, Westburg has flown under the radar for Baltimore. He struggled in the early part of the season, which could contribute to how available he is, Westburg has 46 fantasy points on the season, with 29 coming in the last week. He has seven hits over his last three games and needs to be added while he is riding this momentum.
Luis Garcia Jr., Washington Nationals, 2.2% rostered
There are plenty of more household names available in Jonathan India and Nico Hoerner, but they have struggled recently. India, especially, as he has gone 0-14 in his last four games. Garcia is a solid replacement, given how widely available he is on the platform. He’s hitting .318 this season with seven doubles, a home run and eight RBI. Garcia has 28 fantasy points this season, tallying 17 in the first week of the season and 11 in the second.
Thairo Estrada, San Francisco Giants, 31% rostered
Estrada also has the benefit of shortstop eligibility. He has turned his season around, getting off an early slump. Estrada is riding a four-game hit streak, going 7-16 in that span with two home runs and three RBI. He has 27 fantasy points this season, with 21 coming in the last week. Estrada has some concern with how up and down he has been, but may as well hop on the momentum train while it is still going, especially if Albies isn’t sidelined for long.