Braves’ Ozzie Albies fractures big toe after hit by pitch

The Atlanta Braves placed second baseman Ozzie Albies on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a fractured big toe on his right foot.

In another move, the Braves finalized a minor league deal with former American League batting champion Yuli Gurriel, who was assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett.

Albies, 27, was hit by a pitch in the second inning by Houston Astros rookie Spencer Arrighetti on Monday but continued playing in the 6-1 triumph.

“It’s a freak injury, and there’s nothing I can do it,” Albies said. “Just makes sure I heal fast, and I’m ready to go.”

Manager Brian Snitker didn’t give a timetable for Albies’ return, but he stated surgery wasn’t necessary.

“Normally, when stuff like this happens, three or four innings in, it goes away,” Albies said. “This one stayed, so I was like, ‘Uh, it’s not feeling right.’ I didn’t expect it to be broken.”

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Albies wore a walking boot Tuesday.

He said he didn’t realize he was injured until he took off his shoe Monday night and was taken for X-rays by an athletic trainer.

“I’m sure once he got inside and the adrenaline stopped flowing and the game juices and all that, you’re just seeing him limp around and got pretty sore,” Snitker said. “I’m sure that wasn’t real comfortable out there.”

In a related move, the Braves called up David Fletcher from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Albies, a three-time All-Star, is hitting .317 with two home runs in 15 games.

Luis Guillorme played second base and hit eighth for the Braves on Tuesday night. He went 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored in Atlanta’s 6-2 victory over Houston.

“Ozzie’s a hard guy to replace,” Snitker said. “I feel good about the guys we have to fill the void until he’s back.”

The 39-year-old Gurriel, who won the AL batting title with the Astros in 2021 after hitting .319 that season, last played for the Miami Marlins last season, hitting .245 with four home runs and 27 RBIs in 108 games.

Gurriel spent his first seven major league seasons with the Astros, winning World Series titles in 2017 and 2022. He has a .281 career average with 98 home runs and 462 RBIs.

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