Braves Rumors: Why is Marcell Ozuna receiving so much hate?
In many ways, Atlanta Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna has earned the treatment he receives from rival fanbases. Ozuna was involved in a domestic violence case and shortly thereafter was caught driving under the influence. Alex Anthopoulos came close to cutting him loose, were it not for his contract and the potential to catch fire at any given moment. Ozuna was a bad baseball player for the better part of two years, until he wasn't.
This season, Ozuna has found his power stroke once again, becoming one of the more exciting hitters in Atlanta's lineup. The Braves are the best team in baseball, hence the hatred they receive from rival fanbases. It was odd, though, to see SNY's Jerry Blevins add another layer to the Mets-Braves rivalry.
Yes, Ozuna is alleged to have done some indefensible things, but does that really make the team as a whole impossible to root for, as Blevins suggests? Or is this more about the uniform Ozuna is wearing?
In 2016, the New York Mets welcomed shortstop Jose Reyes back into the fold with open arms after he was accused of domestic violence as a member of the Colorado Rockies. This isn't some gotcha moment, it's public knowledge and, unfortunately, the way our industry is. Players are celebrated for what they did on the field, and their lives off the field are ignored. Most teams have once employed a deplorable individual because of their ability to swing a baseball bat or throw at a high velocity.
It doesn't make things right, but it's an industry problem. Rooting for the Braves does not equate to approving of domestic violence. That's a pretty major overstep.
Braves Rumors: Kyle Wright returns to action
In Kyle Wright's first start since being pulled due to injury in May, the Atlanta Braves pitcher threw three shutout innings for Rome against the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Granted, this is only against High-A hitters, but Wright looked much like his old self and most importantly left the game in good shape physically.
Frankly, the Braves pitching staff could use a fifth, as Spencer Strider, Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Bryce Elder are holding down the fort awaiting Wright's arrival sometime in September. The fact Wright is already performing well in his rehab starts is a good sign, and perhaps a sign Atlanta can fast-track him to the big leagues if necessary.
Of course, Alex Anthopoulos and Brian Snitker would rather take things slow with the former 20-game winner. It's the benefit of building a rather large advantage in the National League East.
"I felt great. I've been working on a lot of stuff mechanically, so to kind of see that come into effect," Wright said after the game. "I really liked my tempo. I didn't feel like I was rushing as much. I feel like I freed my arm up to throw. Definitely excited to see how I feel tomorrow and see how I bounce back, but I'm really excited with how easily I allowed my arm to work this go around as opposed to in the past."
Wright is likely to make at least three more rehab starts at different levels of the Braves minor-league system in the coming weeks before he returns to the majors, but this week served as a new beginning.
"I think the shutdown was really important because when I came back, I felt great," Wright said. "But as I started throwing, normally you would get sore again, but it was different. I could notice that it was more general soreness and sore in the right spots. This go around, we really dove in pretty deep to make sure that we could try to prevent this from happening. As a starting pitcher, you never know and you're not guaranteed no arm injuries, but there's a lot of people that put in a lot of work to try to put this behind us."
Hopefully, Wright can make enough of an impact to earn a spot on the Braves postseason roster when the time comes.
Braves Rumors: Orlando Arcia's long-term future in question?
Orlando Arcia surprisingly made the NL All-Star team this season, and signed a contract extension to stay in Atlanta through potentially 2026. Arcia will be 31 years old by the time that deal expires, but is he the long-term answer at such a demanding position?
The Braves lineup is so loaded that what they need most out of the shortstop position is stability defensively. That is something the likes of Vaughn Grissom cannot offer, despite his ability at the plate. Grissom worked with Ron Washington all offseason and failed to provide much consistency with the glove, which is ultimately why Arcia was named the starter out of spring training.
Arcia will rightly enter the offseason as the starting shortstop, and it ought to stay that way through spring training and into the 2024 season. The only way Arcia can lose the job is if he stumbles, proving that this campaign was just a fluke. Arcia is slashing .277/.336/.438 with 14 home runs. For such a demanding defensive position (which requires most of his focus), that's a very good offensive season for Arcia. And most importantly, he comes at a major discount which allows the Braves to go star chasing when they please.
Arcia is a former top prospect in the Milwaukee Brewers system who has revived his career with Atlanta. If he is not the long-term shortstop option beyond 2026, then at the very least he's a capable stopgap while the Braves find their next Dansby Swanson.
