DETROIT — Atlanta Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna avoided a serious injury to his right wrist when he was hit by a pitch Monday night.
Ozuna was sent to a hospital for testing after leaving a 6-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers when he was struck by a pitch from Garrett Hill.
“It’s good; everything was negative,” Ozuna said Tuesday. “We’re going to take it day by day and see how I feel going forward.”
Ozuna originally thought he was seriously injured.
“I thought it might be broken because it swelled up and I couldn’t grip,” he said. “But it is just a bruise, and I can grip today. I might be able to pinch hit tonight or play tomorrow, but we’ll see.”
Ozuna is hitting .246 with 13 homers and 29 RBIs in 51 games for the Braves, serving as the regular designated hitter while also seeing time in left field.
Earlier this month, Ozuna was removed from an 8-5 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks for not hustling after hitting a drive to deep center field, manager Brian Snitker confirmed after the contest.
In the fourth inning of that game, Ozuna smashed a Zac Gallen offering to deep center. He ended up on first base, settling for a 415-foot single because he stood at home plate and watched the ball reach its destination instead of running right after contact.
Instead of landing in the seats, the ball hit an overhang just below the line that marks a home run. Snitker then replaced Ozuna with Sean Murphy in the sixth inning. Murphy went 0-for-3 after entering.
“I guarantee he feels worse than I do for having to take him out,” Snitker said of Ozuna.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.