ATLANTA – Atlanta Braves outfielder Eddie Rosario became active from the injury list and made his left-field start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.
The Braves also activated left-handed reliever Tyler Matzek from the injury list.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said Rosario’s left-handed bat would balance the heavily disrupted lineup with right-handed hitters. Switch-hitting second baseman Ozzy Albiz is expected to be out for at least mid-August after his left leg was fractured on June 14.
“We’re a very right-handed head,” Snyder said. “It’s better to have a second left-handed bat.”
The Braves will have more outfielders when Adam Duvall returns from the left-hander on Saturday. Snyder said Duvall had “a few more days to swing.”
While healthy, Duvall and Rosario were able to share time in the left field, Michael Harris II in the middle field and Ronald Akuna Jr. in the right field. Marcel Ozuna, primarily assigned heater, also starts in the left area. Guillermo Heredia is another option.
“We’ll keep everyone fresh and we’ll see,” Snitker said. “If we get a hot bat, I’m going to run it.”
To clear the space for Rosario and Matzek, first baseman Mike Ford was selected for the Triple-A Guanette, and right-hander Silvino Bracho was named for the assignment.
On April 25, Rosario was placed on a list of injuries due to blurred vision and swelling in his right eye. His condition was in the process of being corrected. He hit just .068 in 44 at-batts before hitting .259 combined with 14 homers, including Cleveland and Atlanta in 2021.
On May 17, Matzek was placed on a list of injuries due to swelling in his left shoulder. He was expected to work in a set-up role and had a 5.06 ERA in 13 games, struggling for control before being placed on the injured list.
Ford was claimed to have received a waiver from Seattle on June 10 and was recalled from Guinness on June 20. He has not hit a single in four batters in Atlanta.
Bracho, who has played for Arizona since 2015-20, played a scoreless innings in his only game against Atlanta on Friday after being bought from Boston for cash.