Brian McCann strained an oblique muscle in his left side Tuesday, Braves general manager Frank Wren did not hurriedly call New York and cave to the Mets’ demand for a top pitching prospect in a trade for Carlos Beltran. Some Braves fans probably wished he would have.With the Sunday non-waiver trade deadline approaching, folks are getting anxious about the Braves, whose already inconsistent offense was dealt a big blow with the injury to McCann during Tuesday’s 19-inning marathon win against Pittsburgh.
The All-Star catcher strained his side making a throw to second base in the 10th inning and was placed on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday. Veteran backup David Ross will serve as primary catcher until McCann returns and journeyman J.C. Boscan was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to serve as backup.
“It’s very frustrating,” said McCann, who hopes to return after 15 days. “The timing of it — it’s the second, maybe third time I’ve been on the DL — I pride myself on getting out there every day. It’s frustrating, but I need to get this thing healed so it doesn’t turn into something a lot longer.”
Center fielder Jordan Schafer, the team’s lead off hitter, also landed on the DL Wednesday for lingering soreness in his left middle finger, from the chip fracture he sustained last week when he jammed his hand into second base on a head-first slide at Colorado.
Outfielder Wilkin Ramirez was recalled from Gwinnett and in the lineup Wednesday in place of right fielder Jason Heyward, who was hitting .167 against left-handers. Pirates lefty Paul Maholm started Wednesday.
With their best hitter (McCann) and only serious stolen-base threat (Schafer) on the DL, and Chipper Jones having just returned from arthroscopic knee surgery and now nursing a sore quadriceps that limited him to pinch-hitter for the past two games, conventional wisdom said the Braves would feel a bit more of a sense of urgency to make a trade for offense.
Braves general manager Frank Wren said on Wednesday that was not the case. The Braves acquired veteran catcher Wil Nieves from the Brewers organization in a minor trade for cash considerations. Nieves will share catching duties at Gwinnett with Wilkin Castillo.