Drake Baldwin placed on injured list with oblique strain, halting Braves catcher's breakout season

One of MLB’s biggest breakouts is about to have his season temporarily halted. Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin was placed on the injured list Tuesday due to an oblique strain, the team announced.

Baldwin, 25, was in the midst of an excellent season. Through 48 games, he was hitting .303/.389/.543, with 13 home runs. The team called up catcher Chadwick Tromp to serve as Baldwin’s replacement.

It’s unclear how much time Baldwin will miss due to the injury. After hitting the injured list, Baldwin is required to miss at least 10 games. But oblique injuries can be tricky, and are often multi-week injuries. Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, as an example, missed five weeks after sustaining an oblique injury in early April.

It’s impossible to overstate Baldwin’s contributions to the Braves this season. Baldwin leads all catchers with 13 home runs, and is one of the few players to have appeared in every single one of his team’s games so far this season. When he’s not catching, Baldwin has served as the team’s designated hitter. His 160 wRC+ — an advanced stat that measures a player’s offensive prowess — ranked eighth among all qualified hitters.

The Braves have been plagued by injury issues this season. The team lost multiple starting pitchers to arm injuries early in the year, stretching the team’s rotation depth. Catcher Sean Murphy missed the early portion of the season due to injury, and lasted just four games before landing back on the injured list. Star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. also missed time due to a hamstring injury.

Despite all that, the Braves enter Tuesday with 32 wins — the most in baseball. The team’s +86 run differential ranks second in MLB, trailing only the Dodgers.

Baldwin undoubtedly played a major role in keeping the Braves afloat amid those injury woes. Now, it will be up to his teammates to prove they can keep the team rolling until Baldwin is fully recovered.