For at least the time being, Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has lost his spot in the lineup. And, for that matter, he might even be in his final days as a Brave (though that seems unlikely).
And, for good measure, he made the last out of the game in a pinch-hitting role in the team’s come-from-ahead 12-9 loss to the Yankees on Saturday night at Truist Park.
Setbacks all around.
Ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, he’s accepting the frenzied speculation with equanimity.
“It’s not my business,” Ozuna told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after Saturday’s game. “I just want to be on the team that we are right now and whatever happens, happens. I can’t control that. I control coming in every day happy and (with) good energy and give it my best.”
Of the many disappointments and setbacks that have befallen the Braves this season, Ozuna’s drastic drop in production is a link in their chain of calamity.
After he hit a home run June 1 against the Boston Red Sox, Ozuna was doing a fair job of replicating his MVP-caliber 2024 season (after an standout 2023). He was hitting .284 with 10 home runs in 55 games with an on-base percentage of .427, which ranked fourth in the majors. His OPS was .901, 15th in MLB. He led the majors with 48 walks.
However, in his 35 games from June 2 through Friday, he hit .172 with three home runs. His on-base percentage was .265 and his OPS was .547, which was 172nd among 183 qualified players — not what the Braves need from their DH.
Normally a staple in manager Brian Snitker’s lineup, Ozuna has been the starting DH only once in the past five games, including Saturday, as Snitker has switched to using catchers Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin in that slot.
When Snitker said before Saturday’s game that, “I’m going to put the best lineup out there to win the game (every day),” it was not difficult to think that it was at least a reference in part to Ozuna, that time is quickly running out on the season (if it hasn’t already) and that the Braves can’t afford to wait for the 34-year-old Ozuna to find his Silver Slugger form.
“He’s great,” Snitker said of Ozuna’s acceptance of not being in the lineup. “He’s been through all this. He’s not going to not play. I’m going to pick my spots and pretty much, the other two guys are doing so good, I can’t not play them.”
Regarding his hip injury, which has been contending for much of the season, Ozuna said he felt healthy.
“It’s good, thank God,” he said. “I feel ready. I just need to wait for another opportunity to be in the lineup.”
He did not seem worried about his lack of productivity.
“As soon as you get a chance, you’re going to fix a couple little things,” he said. “But if you’re not playing, you can’t fix anything.”
Ozuna’s dip in play is one more thing that has gone awry for the Braves. Injuries, players going through career-worst seasons, the team seemingly unable to avoid crushing defeat — Ozuna’s slide takes its place in a season that was expected to result in an eighth consecutive postseason berth that now looks unlikely, if not beyond reach.
Being in the final year of his contract with the Braves has made Ozuna the subject of speculation that he (along with closer Raisel Iglesias, also on an expiring deal) could be traded if the club chooses to sell at the July 31 trade deadline.
It seems unlikely, and here’s why. With a week-plus to go before the deadline, the Braves remain committed to pursuing a playoff spot.
“With expanded playoffs, all you’ve got to do is get in, and anything can happen from there,” first baseman Matt Olson told the AJC before the game.
And if that’s the team’s approach, there would be no logic to selling.
Second, even if the Braves were to fall further out of the race, the market for players with expiring contracts typically is not strong. As long as there’s a glimmer of hope, the Braves might rather stick with Ozuna (and Iglesias) in case of a rebound rather than trade for prospects that they don’t especially want.
In his history, Braves president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos has not been one to make a trade just for the sake of it. While it might aggravate fans who are more certain of the Braves’ inability to compete this season than the team itself, that mindset would seem to be pertinent here.
It would not be a surprise at all if Ozuna, Iglesias and the third Braves player often cited as a possible trade chip — reliever Pierce Johnson, who has a club option for 2026 — are with the team Aug. 1 after the deadline.
Further, Ozuna’s slide in productivity and loss of his spot in the lineup will not do much to convince contending teams that they need him.
Lastly, in Ozuna’s case, as an MLB veteran with 10 years of service time and five consecutive years with his current club, he has the ability to veto any trade.
Asked about that possibility, Ozuna said that he didn’t know what would happen.
“It’s my agent’s decision and the GM,” he said. “I just work here.”
The last sentence was offered in a lighthearted tone. He spoke in a clubhouse that was practically vacant after the team’s latest gut-punch defeat.
Offensive breakthroughs by two struggling players, Ozzie Albies (second home run in as many games) and Michael Harris II (home run and first walk in 179 plate appearances), went for naught in the defeat, as the Braves bullpen couldn’t keep the powerful Yankees from scoring all of their 12 runs in the final five innings.
In the end, another defeat and another Braves player trying to find answers, this time from the bench.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
