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The Atlanta Braves received some troubling news on Sunday morning as catcher Travis d’Arnaud, who is battling a left thumb sprain, was placed on the 60-day injured list. Manager Brian Snitker described the injury as “not good” before the team officially announced the move.
Travis d'Arnaud will go on the IL and rookie catcher William Contreras will be activated to replace him. Snitker said d'Arnaud's injury is "not good" and could be serious, but they'll wait for diagnosis after he's flown back to Atlanta to be examined by team doctor Sunday.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) May 2, 2021
This is certainly not good for the Braves, who played the backstop in 23 of their 27 games this season. He has opened the year slashing .220/.253/.341 with two home runs, four walks, 11 RBI, and 20 strikeouts. Defensively, he owns a 1.000 fielding percentage but has thrown out just one of 11 base-stealers.
The veteran backstop was drafted in 2007 and debuted in 2013. He was named a National League Silver Slugger in 2020 after posting a career-high .321/.386/.533 slash line with nine home runs.
Atlanta will replace d’Arnaud with young catcher William Contreras. The 2015 international signee made his MLB debut last season, stroking three singles and a double over the course of 10 at-bats. He ranks sixth among all prospects (second among catchers) in the Braves’ system, according to MLB Pipeline.
The team also employs Max Stassi, a 38-year-old journeyman catcher who can fill in when needed.
The Braves are 12-15 so far this season, ranking fourth in the National League East.
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