For the last couple of seasons, Marcell Ozuna has been one of the absolute best hitters on the Atlanta Braves roster. After a pair of seasons that involved some high profile legal troubles, injuries, and struggles at the plate, Ozuna became an integral part of the Braves' lineup and that was true to start the 2025 season as well. However, an unfortunate injury that is being handled in questionable fashion by the Braves threatens his 2025 production and availability.
Back in April amidst one of the darkest periods in recent Braves history, Ozuna had a MRI on his hip which was obviously deeply concerning for Braves fans. At the time, the team said that the scan revealed no structural damage and Ozuna missed minimal time, although he has not been nearly as dominant as fans had come to expect.
As it turns out, Ozuna's slower than usual pace has a very reasonable explanation. In comments to the media, Ozuna revealed that he actually had a tear in his hip that has hampered his ability to swing for weeks now.
Marcell Ozuna claims he has a "tear" in his hip which begs some pretty serious questions
To start with, the Braves and, well, everyone else seems to have a very different definition of what structual damage is assuming that initial MRI showed a tear. It does seem unlikely that Atlanta would let Ozuna play if there was a significant risk of making the injury worse, but the lack of transparency is certainly troubling for a team that can't figure out how to stay healthy. One can understand everyone's desire to keep Ozuna around given how bad the offense has been, but running him out there while hurt seems awfully risky.
There is also the matter of Ozuna's playing time. Given his injury, it just feels like malpractice to keep running him out there every single when you have two bats in Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin that are vying for playing time at the moment. Give the man more days off and play both catchers. If you are concerned about catcher injuries, throw a third catcher on the bench for safety since you barely use the bench guys anyways.
In addition to the short-term concerns, there is the matter of Ozuna's long-term future with the Braves to consider. Ozuna is a free agent after the season and there has been precious little public discussion about the two sides sticking together beyond 2025. With the slugger now dealing with a hip injury which can be serious and can linger, one wonders if the chances of re-signing Ozuna (even if the team wanted to) have also taken a major hit.