In the clubhouse, Whit Merrifield, the newest Brave, had the middle finger on his right hand taped.
“It’s pretty gnarly,” he said.
He was not lying.
He said a ground ball in batting practice on Monday “shredded the skin underneath the nail.” He added that he received four stitches going through the nail into the finger, then had the nail glued back down to the finger.
Ouch.
“Just a bad hop,” he said.
At first, he didn’t think much of it. It happens all the time.
Then he looked down and saw his finger covered in blood. The freak accident symbolized the Braves’ luck – or lack thereof – with injuries this season.
What made it worse: It happened on Merrifield’s last grounder of the afternoon.
Merrifield lobbied to play on Tuesday before the game was postponed, but the medical staff recommended waiting another day. He still cannot throw the ball well – he likened his current throws to a changeup because he cannot use his middle finger – so the Braves will use him to pinch-run until further notice.
It’s an unfortunate occurrence for Merrifield, who might’ve been in line for a start. The Braves on Monday signed him to a major-league deal after Ozzie Albies suffered a fractured wrist in Sunday’s loss. And Austin Riley on Tuesday went on the paternity list.
Merrifield is looking for positive results. With the Phillies, he hit .199 with a .572 OPS over 156 at-bats. He hit three home runs and drove in 11 runs. He stole three bases. Merrifield, a starter for a large portion of his career, is adjusting to being a bench player this season.
“It was a new role for me and I just didn’t get off to a good start,” he said. “It felt like every time I got back in there, I was trying to go 4-for-4 with four homers to try to get back on track, and that’s not really a good way to approach (it) game in, game out. But yeah, I just couldn’t seem to get it going, for whatever reason. It just didn’t seem like it was meant to be. The positives, for me, was that if you look at my speed numbers, strength numbers, those are all actually better than they have been in the past, and so physically, I feel like I’m in a good spot – actually, better than I have been in previous years. There’s just things baseball-wise that I need to iron out and hopefully I can do that here.”
The Braves have struggled to get hot for a lengthy stretch. They’re trying to gain momentum. With their injuries, Merrifield could have a nice opportunity. He can play second base, third base and the outfield.
“Kind of started on a rocky note (Monday) when his finger exploded,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It would’ve been a good opportunity for him to get in there today, but just went out and tried, and he can’t launch the ball very well. … But no, it’s good to have a veteran guy like that.”
Merrifield is a three-time All-Star. Over his career, he’s hit .281 with a .743 OPS. This is, by far, his worst major-league season. But there’s time to salvage it. And now, he’s on the other side of a rivalry – something he said doesn’t matter as much to players as it does to reporters.
At some point after the Braves’ signing of Merrifield became official, he hopped on FaceTime with the Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber. The two shared words.
“And let them know that they were screwed – in a polite way to say it,” Merrifield joked.
The Braves are trying to chase down the Phillies. Merrifield will be part of their effort to do so.
“I loved my time over there. I really did,” he said. “Hey, it didn’t work out. It just didn’t seem like it was meant to be, but hopefully it’s meant for me to be a Brave.”
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