After news broke of Max Fried being placed on the 15-day IL due to a blister on his finger, Atlanta Braves fans weren't expecting to possibly lose another piece of their rotation.
Charlie Morton completed one inning of work on Friday evening with 24 pitches. He seemed fine during the inning with no indication of injury. Velocity seemed just fine but the command was a bit spotty. However, that has been a struggle for Charlie most of the year so even that didn't seem abnormal.
However, Michael Tonkin relieved him to start the second inning and it was announced Morton was removed with right index finger discomfort. Obviously, any injury on the pitching hand is concerning and needs to be taken seriously.
#Braves’ Charlie Morton exits with index-finger issue pic.twitter.com/wlI9JHGSU0
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) September 22, 2023
It was speculated the Braves may just be removing him to give him extra rest and set him up to start Game 3 of the NLDS but I wouldn't think they'd pull him after one inning just to do that. We won't know more news until after the game and tests have been run so stay tuned to HTHB for updates on his condition.
After that one inning of work tonight, Morton now has a 3.64 ERA through 163.1 innings. Morton was definitely a big part of the rotation this season and is expected to help the team through the playoffs. If Morton for some reason isn't able to pitch next week, he would have until October 11 to make his first playoff start for Atlanta.
This is terrible timing to start having injuries pop up for the Atlanta Braves with the playoffs just around the corner. Hopefully, the Braves being this cautious will allow them to have Fried and Morton through the playoffs and avoid a chance at making a playoff run without them.