The Atlanta Braves announced on Monday evening that veteran outfielder Eddie Rosario will undergo a "laser procedure" on his right eye in the coming days to correct blurred vision and swelling. Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Rosario will miss between two to three months of play as a result.
Rosario, 30 years old, was one of the Braves' postseason heroes last fall, when they won the World Series. He re-signed with the club over the winter on a two-year agreement worth $18 million. Unfortunately, he got off to a slow start to this season, albeit for what turned out to be understandable reasons.
In 15 games to date, Rosario has batted .068/.163/.091 (-25 OPS+) with no home runs and five more strikeouts (10) than walks (five) in his first 49 plate appearances. While he's not known for his fielding, he had also made three errors already; he made three errors for the entire 2021 season, or in 100 total games.
There's never a good time for a player to suffer an injury or require an operation, but Rosario's absence will come at a time when the Braves are preparing for the return of Ronald Acuña Jr., the face of the franchise who tore his ACL last July. Acuña is expected to return around May 6, for the start of a homestand.
In the interim, the Braves figure to trot out a starting outfield alignment that includes Marcell Ozuna, Adam Duvall and either Alex Dickerson, Guillermo Heredia or Orlando Arcia. The Braves have just one other outfielder on their Triple-A club who is also part of their 40-player roster, with that being prospect Drew Waters. In theory, they could promote a veteran like Delino DeShields Jr. for additional coverage.
The Braves will resume their regular season on Tuesday with a three-game series at home against the Chicago Cubs. The Braves have started this season with a 7-10 record, good for third place in the National League East.
