When it comes to injuries, the Atlanta Braves have had a mix of good and bad luck to start the 2025 season. They had Sean Murphy break a rib in camp from which he has successfully returned and unfortunately lost Reynaldo Lopez for at least the first half of the season, but they are getting Spencer Strider back this week (we hope) and Ronald Acuna Jr. seems to be on the comeback trail. Through it all, Marcell Ozuna has been a steady performer in the Braves' lineup.
From a baseball perspective, Ozuna is the one guy the Braves probably can't afford to lose. He is the only guy that has stayed healthy and produced at a high level all season long and when he is right, Ozuna is one of the most productive hitters in the National League.
Unfortunately, Monday's lineup against the Blue Jays was just revealed and it includes no Ozuna which was explained by the AJC's Justin Toscano on Monday afternoon.
Marcell Ozuna isn’t in the lineup. He’s been dealing with something minor in his leg, but Brian Snitker hasn’t seemed too concerned. https://t.co/Yk08VKVPOR
— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) April 14, 2025
Marcell Ozuna ruled out for entire series against the Blue Jays with hip issue
The note from Toscano about Snit's opinion does hold some weight here. Snit will generally let folks know if there is a concern about a guy missing an extended period of time and in this case, he is already signaling that there isn't much to worry about with Ozuna.
However, that Atlanta is holding Ozuna out of the lineup when they are in desperate need of wins should inspire a bit of concern from fans. Yes, it is possible that the Braves are just getting ahead of something minor here, but there is clearly a real issue if they are holding him out and there is no guarantee that a little bit of rest is going to do the trick. Making matters worse, the Braves would later reveal that Ozuna isn't going to play for the entire series against Toronto.
Snit just told me Ozuna will not be available this entire series in Toronto. Has been sent back to Atlanta.
— Ben Ingram (@IngramRadio) April 14, 2025
For now, fans should not be panicking as guys get held out of the lineup all the time. However, that Ozuna has been dealing with some sort of leg/hip issue AND it was finally enough to warrant taking him out of the lineup for an entire series is something everyone should keep a close eye on. The way this season is going, assuming everything will work out just fine seems like a bad idea.