MIAMI (AP) — The Atlanta Braves placed star catcher Drake Baldwin on the 10-day injured list Tuesday because of a strained right oblique muscle.
The reigning NL Rookie of the Year played in the series opener against the Miami Marlins on Monday but was replaced after his third plate appearance in the sixth inning of Atlanta’s 12-0 loss.
“Everyone deals with this,” Braves manager Walt Weiss said Tuesday. “It’s part of a major league season. Virtually every team is going to deal with their fair share of injuries. It’s tough when it happens to your best players. You’ve got to find a way to get through it and guys have to step up.”
Weiss added that Baldwin initially felt a slight discomfort after his second at-bat but not painful enough to warrant his removal.
“He felt a little more after the last at-bat. I took him out of the game after that one,” Weiss said. “Obliques are obliques and they’re never fun to deal with.”
Baldwin has returned to Atlanta, where he will undergo an MRI and additional testing.
The 25-year-old Baldwin has followed a standout rookie season with impressive offensive numbers through his first 48 games. Baldwin began Tuesday with a team-leading .303 batting average and 57 hits, and is tied with Matt Olson with a team-high 38 RBIs.
Last season, Baldwin became the first catcher since Buster Posey in 2010 to win Rookie of the Year. Baldwin hit 19 homers and drove in 80 runs, receiving 21 of 30 first place votes.
Baldwin’s removal coincides with the return of five-time All Star Ronald Acuña Jr. Acuña, the NL 2023 MVP, had been sidelined since May 2 because of a left hamstring strain. He was activated Monday and will hit leadoff as designated hitter on Tuesday.
“I guess, if there is a silver lining, we replace Baldwin with a guy like Ronald Acuña,” Weiss said. “Not many teams get to do that. That’s the good news there. But truth be told — we’re losing arguably our best hitter. Drake has been unbelievable.”
The Braves selected the contract of catcher Chadwick Tromp from Triple-A Gwinnett. Tromp and Sandy León will split the starts at catcher during Baldwin’s absence.
This story has been corrected to show that Baldwin is 25, not 23.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.