The Atlanta Braves placed Ozzie Albies on the 10-day IL with a fractured right toe. The fracture is a result of the direct hit his foot took from Spencer Arrighetti‘s curveball on Monday night. Ozzie Albies is hitting .317 with two homers, two steals, 14 runs batted, and a .386 OBP so far this season.

Why David Fletcher is a solid replacement for Ozzie Albies

The Braves have selected the contract of veteran infielder David Fletcher to replace Albies on the roster. Fletcher is a guy we were pretty excited about when the Braves acquired him as infield depth. We even made a case for a scenario in which Fletcher takes the job from Orlando Arcia this season. Of course there are many hypotheticals we don’t want to come to fruition for something like that, but the point was to highlight what a productive player Fletcher really has been over his career.

He brings phenomenal defense, limited strikeouts, and the ability to get on-base. Fletcher finished in the 95th percentile or higher in Outs Above Average in four out of the five seasons between 2018-2022, so he’s bringing elite defense to Atlanta.

While the Braves will sorely miss Albies’ impact bat, Fletcher should adequately fill the gap until Albies is able to return. The Braves will take a step back in run production and power but if Fletcher can play up to his resume, he’ll bring top-notch defense and a great OBP while putting the ball in play.

How has David Fletcher done in Gwinnett so far?

Through 13 games in Gwinnett, Fletcher has nine walks to just five strikeouts with a .280 average and a .383 OBP.

How long will Ozzie Albies be out?

A fractured toe typically takes 4-5 weeks to heal. So while we can only speculate on how long it will take a specific person to heal up, we know it will be a few weeks without the three-time All-Star.