The Atlanta Braves outfield has not been close to full strength all season long. It began before the season even started when Jurickson Profar received a 162-game suspension for PEDs.
To make matters worse, superstar right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is currently on the 10-day injured list for the second time this season due to reaggravating his left hamstring strain. And while center fielder Michael Harris is having an impressive season, he too has battled minor injury issues and even spent time in a designated hitter role.
On Saturday, another outfielder suffered an unfortunate setback in Mike Yastrzemski. The Braves announced ahead of Saturday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals that Yastrzemski had been placed on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation.
With the Atlanta Braves now shorthanded in the outfield once again, the situation has become genuinely concerning.
The division lead that once felt comfortable has shrunk to just three games over the red-hot Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies entering Saturday's slate of games. Losing Yastrzemski at this particular moment only adds to the pressure.
The outfield picture without Acuna right now is not great with Yastrzemski now down as well. The Braves will likely have to rely on depth outfielder Eli White to play every day, and he offers very little offensively.
Kyle Farmer is another option, but across 15 at-bats his OPS sits at just .583. Neither option inspires much confidence for a team with World Series aspirations.
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What makes this development especially troubling is the timing. The All-Star break is approaching, and Atlanta enters the second half of the season without two of their regular outfielders available.
The Marlins and Phillies have been playing their best baseball of the year at exactly the wrong time for the Braves, and running out an outfield short on firepower against quality opponents is not a recipe for holding a division lead.
Acuna remains on the injured list and is not expected back immediately, while Yastrzemski's elbow inflammation adds yet another layer of uncertainty to a group that has been pieced together all season.
