After struggling during his first two seasons in Atlanta, Melvin Upton, formally known as B.J. Upton,will have to wait a little longer then expected in hopes to turn his career around.
Upton was diagnosed on Friday with inflammation in his left foot, specifically in the bone behind the ball of his foot. With the injury, Upton is expected to be in a cast for at least two weeks and in a walking boot for four to six weeks after that. With the timetable that was given by the doctors, it appears as if Upton will not only miss the remainder of spring training, but will also miss the start of the 2015 season as well.
Melvin Upton expected to begin regular season on disabled list. #Braves announce he has sesamoiditis; no baseball activities until April.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 27, 2015
Ever since Upton signed with the Atlanta Braves in 2013, he has seen his struggles at the plate, posting a slash line of .198/.279/.314 in 267 games during the two seasons. With the Braves trading away Melvin’s brother Justin and former All-Star Jason Heyward this off-season, the team needs Upton to figure out his struggles at the plate if they hope to compete in the National League East this season.
With Upton being sidelined, the most likely candidates to fill the position include Zoilo Almonte, Eury Perez, and minor-leaguer Todd Cunningham. Along with those three candidates, non-roster invitee Eric Young Jr. might also get a chance to win a roster spot to help fill in until Upton’s return.
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