Braves First Baseman Matt Olson Out of Time, Must Start Hitting
The Atlanta Braves can’t afford first baseman Matt Olson not contributing on a significant basis any longer.
Even the best baseball players go through slumps. Sometimes, an All-Star can have a disappointing first half or a “down year.” After all, there’s a reason why the latter is a popular phrase.
But for a team to be successful despite a “down year” from a preseason MVP candidate, the rest of the roster has to be healthy and contributing.
That’s not the case for the Atlanta Braves in 2024.
The Braves opened the second half of the season with a series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, who are another National League wild card contender. But even worse, the Braves lost starter Max Fried and second baseman Ozzie Albies to injuries before and during the series finale.
The Braves announced after Sunday’s loss that Albies suffered a left wrist fracture. He will be fortunate to be back two weeks before the regular season finale.
Atlanta also lost Fried to left forearm neutiris. The Braves seem more optimistic Fried will return shortly, but he will miss at least a few starts.
The Braves are already missing outfielders Ronald Acuña and Michael Harris II to injuries. Without Albies, the Braves will not have one-third of their lineup which led baseball in runs scored last season.
It’s possible the Braves will be without that third of their lineup for the rest of the regular season.With his dismal weekend, Olson’s 2024 slugging percentage has dropped to .392. He led the league with a .604 slugging percentage behind 54 home runs last year.
The 0-for-the-weekend is a continuation of the poor finish to the first half for Olson. After Sunday, he’s 14-for-104 (.135) with only 4 extra-base hits over the past month.
If there’s any good news, Olson put the ball in play, striking out just twice, over the weekend. But overall, his analytics are not positive.
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