Fastball

Atlanta Braves Sign Former All-Star in the Wake of Ozzie Albies Injury

In the wake of losing Ozzie Albies to a broken wrist, the Atlanta Braves have added another former All-Star to the roster.

Brady Farkas

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Whit Merrifield (9) throws to first base to retire Miami Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. (not pictured) during the second inning at loanDepot Park on May 10.
Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Whit Merrifield (9) throws to first base to retire Miami Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. (not pictured) during the second inning at loanDepot Park on May 10. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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In the wake of losing All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies to a broken wrist, the Atlanta Braves have added another former All-Star to the roster.

The Braves have signed Whit Merrifield to a contract. He had just been released by the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 35-year-old Merrifield is not the player he once was, but if he gets regular at-bats with Atlanta perhaps he can turn it around. He was hitting only .199 with three home runs in Philadelphia, but he had only 156 at-bats, less than half of what a regular has at this time of the year.

Lifetime, Merrifield is a nine-year vet with the Kansas City Royals and Toronto Blue Jays, in addition to Philadelphia. One of the more accomplished players of the last decade, he's a .281 career hitter with 93 homers and 212 stolen bases.

He's led the American League in steals three different times and led the majors in hits in two different seasons. He's also a three-time All-Star who received MVP votes back in 2018.

At this time it's not known if Merrifield will need any rehab games to get his timing back. He last played with the Phillies on July 10, so it stands to reason that he might just be ready to go when the Braves take on the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night.

Atlanta enters play at 54-44 on the year. They are currently holding the No. 1 spot in the National League wild card picture. Albies is expected to miss eight weeks with his injury.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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