The injured list for the Atlanta Braves continues to expand. After leaving last night's game prematurely, Sam Hilliard has been placed on the 10-day IL for a right heel contusion. RHP Seth Elledge joins the MLB roster and LHP Danny Young has been released. Elledge last pitched in the majors for the St. Louis Cardnials in 2021 while Young has not appeared in a game for the Braves since May 15th.
The #Braves today selected RHP Seth Elledge to the major league roster, placed OF Sam Hilliard on the 10-day injured list with a right heel contusion, and released LHP Danny Young from the roster.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) July 19, 2023
Hilliard is heading to the IL after his first start replacing Eddie Rosario who is still experiencing some discomfort from an apparent hamstring injury that occurred Saturday against the Chicago White Sox.
The only good news in this scearnio is the fact that Rosario has not been placed on the injured list. With this being the case, he could be back in left field for Atlanta sooner rather than later.
This is a tough injury for a guy like Sam Hilliard who has not had a whole lot of playing time recently due to the great success the Atlanta Braves have had all season long. Hilliard in 72 at-bats this season is hitting .236 with 3 home runs.
No, this is not one of the Atlanta Braves' superstars, but it does weaken the team. Perhaps the biggest losses the Braves will experience while Hilliard is sidelined is bench depth and speed.
He is a great weapon to have on the bench to put on base late in games to let his legs become a threat to opponents. Looking beyond the mediorce numbers from a small sample size at the dish for Hilliard, he is a left-handed bat who has some pop. That is a huge weapon for any manager to have to counter matchups from an oppositions bullpen.
With Eddie Rosario potentially not back at full strength and Hilliard on the IL, look for Kevin Pillar to get more playing time over the next couple of days. The Braves always look to solve these problems within the organization first, but don't be surprised if this injury sealed the deal for Alex Anthopolus to be shopping for outfielders at the deadline.