MIAMI (AP) 鈥� The placed star catcher Drake Baldwin on the 10-day injured list Tuesday because of a strained right oblique muscle.
The played in the series opener against on Monday but was replaced after his third plate appearance in the sixth inning of Atlanta鈥檚 .
鈥淓veryone deals with this,鈥� Braves manager Walt Weiss said Tuesday. 鈥淚t鈥檚 part of a major league season. Virtually every team is going to deal with their fair share of injuries. It鈥檚 tough when it happens to your best players. You鈥檝e got to find a way to get through it and guys have to step up.鈥�
Weiss added that Baldwin initially felt a slight discomfort after his second at-bat but not painful enough to warrant his removal.
鈥淗e felt a little more after the last at-bat. I took him out of the game after that one,鈥� Weiss said. 鈥淥bliques are obliques and they鈥檙e never fun to deal with.鈥�
Baldwin has returned to Atlanta, where he will undergo an MRI and additional testing.
The 25-year-old Baldwin has followed a standout rookie season with impressive offensive numbers through his first 48 games. Baldwin began Tuesday with a team-leading .303 batting average and 57 hits, and is tied with Matt Olson with a team-high 38 RBIs.
Last season, Baldwin became the first catcher since Buster Posey in 2010 to win Rookie of the Year. Baldwin hit 19 homers and drove in 80 runs, receiving 21 of 30 first place votes.
Baldwin鈥檚 removal coincides with the return of five-time All Star Ronald Acu帽a Jr. Acu帽a, the NL 2023 MVP, had been sidelined since May 2 because of a left hamstring strain. He was activated Monday and will hit leadoff as designated hitter on Tuesday.
鈥淚 guess, if there is a silver lining, we replace Baldwin with a guy like Ronald Acu帽a,鈥� Weiss said. 鈥淣ot many teams get to do that. That鈥檚 the good news there. But truth be told 鈥� we鈥檙e losing arguably our best hitter. Drake has been unbelievable.鈥�
The Braves selected the contract of catcher Chadwick Tromp from Triple-A Gwinnett. Tromp and Sandy Le贸n will split the starts at catcher during Baldwin鈥檚 absence.
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This story has been corrected to show that Baldwin is 25, not 23.
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