Marcell Ozuna was removed from Sunday’s game with a “minor leg issue.” He was given the night off on Monday, but has now been sent back to Atlanta for an exploratory MRI on his hip.
The Braves finish up this six-game road trip on Wednesday before returning home on Friday for six games.
The loss of Ozuna is a big blow for the lineup, as he was slashing .306/.477/.531 with a .224 ISO and three home runs in 65 plate appearances. Sure, the elevated .414 BABIP is unsustainable, but the power is legit.
Stuart Fairchild ($2,000) replaced him on Sunday. He is starting in right field at batting seventh on Monday, while Bryan De La Cruz ($2,700) is handling DH duties and batting fifth.
Fairchild bats from the right side and has a career .165 ISO in 627 plate appearances. The strikeout rate is high at 27% while the career batting average is .221. He does have a little speed, though, as he stole 10 and 13 bases in the prior two seasons in Cincinnati.
De La Cruz also bats from the right side and he has a .152 career ISO in 1,864 plate appearances. Both the career strikeout rate and batting average are better than Fairchild, but De La Cruz doesn’t have much speed. He did hit 21 and 19 home runs the last two seasons, though.
