Things have gone from bad to weird for the Atlanta Braves, who will be without shortstop Erick Aybar because of a throat injury.
Continue for updates.
Aybar Scratched from Thursday's Game
Thursday, May 19
Per David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Aybar was taken to a local doctor Thursday to have a chicken bone removed from his throat.
Per Kevin McAlpin of 680 The Fan, Aybar was in the original lineup interim manager Brian Snitker posted for Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Speaking to reporters, per MLB.com's Mark Bowman, Snitker said Aybar "looked OK when he left, but he wasn’t speaking real well. Let’s just hope everything works out all right.”
With Aybar out of the lineup, the Braves will use Daniel Castro at shortstop and slot him seventh in the order.
The 32-year-old Aybar is off to a slow start this season, hitting .174/.207/.205 in 38 games. He has just four extra-base hits in 132 at-bats in the final year of his contract.
The Braves haven't had many things go right for them in 2016. Their 10-29 record is tied for the worst in Major League Baseball, and they dismissed manager Fredi Gonzalez after his five-plus seasons with the team.
Aybar isn't helping matters with his performance at the plate so far this season, but his presence in the lineup every day still could benefit the team. If he starts to get hot, the Braves can use him as trade bait this summer to add another prospect to a much-improved farm system.
Atlanta's front office is looking toward the future, but the 25 players in the dugout are focused on doing the best they can in 2016. Aybar is a veteran who surely wants a chance to play for a World Series if he can stay on the field.
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