The Atlanta Braves have been reeling from injuries all year long. Unfortunately, the latest word that Austin Riley will be out 6-8 weeks with a broken hand is just one of many season-altering injuries that the Braves have had to deal with. However, it was heartening that Atlanta was targeting Gio Urshela on Tuesday as a reasonable replacement for Riley.
The Braves just made Urshela's signing official, but it also came with some news that made it all but certain that AJ Minter's season is over and puts his future with the team on very uncertain ground.
The #Braves today signed INF Gio Urshela to a major league contract and placed INF Austin Riley on the 10-day injured list, backdated to August 19, with a fractured right hand. To make room on the 40-man roster, Atlanta transferred A.J. Minter to the 60-day injured list.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 20, 2024
Braves News: Atlanta adds Gio Urshela to big league roster, but AJ Minter's time with Braves may be done
Urshela was released by the Tigers after passing through waivers in order to make room for some of their younger guys. The timing of that move couldn't have been better for the Braves because while Urshela isn't likely to be anywhere near as good as Riley, he was at least hitting pretty well in August before Detroit moved on from him. As a low cost option with actual upside, Atlanta could do a lot worse.
As for Minter, moving him to the 60-day IL essentially removed any sliver of hope that he could return this season after needing hip surgery. The Iengthy IL designation makes a regular season return impossible and given his injury and the likely need for him to rehab, returning in the postseason (assuming the Braves even get there) isn't likely to be in the cards.
Unfortunately, this also means that Minter's future with the Braves is very much in jeopardy. He is a free agent after the season and while the two sides were initially interested in sticking together, but Minter's injury is likely to make the Braves at least cautious about being too aggressive in trying to lure him back during the offseason.