Braves' d'Arnaud has torn thumb ligament, unclear if he'll return in 2021
The Atlanta Braves placed catcher Travis d'Arnaud on the 60-day injured list Sunday after he suffered a left thumb injury against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, the club announced.
Though the ailment was initially announced as a sprained thumb, the Braves revealed after Sunday's game that d'Arnaud sustained a torn ligament and will require surgery, according to David O'Brien of The Athletic.
The team is hopeful he'll be able to return at some point this season, notes O'Brien, but it's unclear when d'Arnaud will be able to get back on the field.
D'Arnaud injured himself while applying a tag on Randal Grichuk at home plate during the sixth inning of an eventual Braves loss.
The 32-year-old backstop has two home runs and a .594 OPS in 23 games. However, he slashed .321/.386/.533 in 2020 en route to winning his first career Silver Slugger Award.
To make matters worse, backup catcher Alex Jackson also landed on the 10-day IL with a strained left hamstring before Sunday's game.
The Braves recalled William Contreras and selected Jeff Mathis' contract to replace the two injured catchers on the active major-league roster.