The Braves placed catcher Brian McCann on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a left knee sprain.
He becomes the Braves' fifth position player currently on the IL, joining shortstop Dansby Swanson, right fielder Nick Markakis, center fielder Ender Inciarte and outfielder/infielder Austin Riley.
The Braves recalled catcher Alex Jackson from Triple-A Gwinnett to replace McCann on the 25-man roster. Jackson, who was 0-for-10 in three games during a brief stint with the Braves earlier this season, said he expects to benefit this time from having been here before.
“I’m definitely excited to be here,” Jackson said.
At Gwinnett, Jackson was hitting .224 with 25 home runs and 57 RBIs in 81 games.
Tyler Flowers, who has shared the Braves’ catching duties with McCann this season, likely will get the bulk of the work behind the plate in McCann’s absence. But Jackson “is going to have to carry some of the load,” manager Brian Snitker said.
McCann left Tuesday night's game with knee soreness at the start of the fourth inning.
McCann wasn’t available for interviews Wednesday, but Snitker said he thinks the veteran catcher could be able to return to the active roster when the minimum 10-day stint on the injured list expires.
“We’ll have to take it day-by-day, but it’s kind of encouraging to see him walking around,” Snitker said. “Talking to him, he seems a little more encouraged than what he he thought he might be today, so that’s good.”
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