This is not the point in the season when any franchise wants to be losing players to the IL, but the inevitable has happened.
Atlanta Braves‘ skipper Walt Weiss announced that outfielder Lane Thomas has now been placed on the IL, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Atlanta Braves Place Lane Thomas on IL
Earlier in the day on Sept. 10, fans had expected to see 31-year-old Thomas in the lineup against the Tampa Bay Rays.
He was scratched from the lineup, raising red flags immediately.
Now, he is listed on the latest injury report as of Thursday with left-side tightness.
His last game appearance took place on Sept. 7 against the Phillies.
Further details have yet to be released.
At the time of this writing, Thomas is slashing .224/.318/.383 with a .701 OPS and 11 homers through 118 games.
So far, he’s registered 19 doubles and 40 RBIs.
This season marks his eighth year playing Major League Baseball, but it’s only his first stint with Atlanta.
Throughout his career, he’s played with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Washington Nationals, the Cleveland Guardians, the Kansas City Royals and now the Braves.
Where the Braves Stand As the Postseason Nears
Atlanta is riding an 86-61 overall record, placing them first in the National League East.
Philadelphia isn’t too far behind at 82-64, followed by the Miami Marlins (72-75), the New York Mets (68-78) and the Nationals (67-81).
In the Major League standings, the Braves land fourth. They line up behind the Rays (87-59), the Los Angeles Dodgers (89-57) and the Milwaukee Brewers (91-56).
Looking at FanGraphs’ MLB Playoff Odds, Atlanta has an 89.5% chance of winning their division and a 5.6% chance of clinching the World Series title this fall.
The Braves are coming off a 2-1 series loss to Tampa Bay.
Now, they are gearing up for yet another series against the Phillies at Truist Park. The last time the two faced each other was just last week for a four-game stretch; the series was tied.
The opener is scheduled for Sept. 11 at 7:15 p.m. ET.
Atlanta Braves Provide New Lane Thomas Injury Update Before Phillies Series