Braves: Jurickson Profar expected to DH following offseason surgery

The beginning of Braves Spring Training has unfortunately been mostly about injuries, and that continued over the weekend. Hurston Waldrep will seek a second opinion after an MRI revealed loose bodies in his elbow. Additionally, Jurickson Profar revealed he had offseason surgery on a groin injury that was hindering him toward the end of last season.

Fortunately, this is not an issue that is going to force Profar to the IL, as he’s set to compete for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic alongside his teammates Ozzie Albies and Chadwick Tromp.

However, it may have played a part in the Braves’ decision to target Mike Yastrzemski and Mauricio Dubón this offseason — two guys who can play the outfield much better defensively, relegating Profar primarily to DH duties. That’s not something he’s exactly thrilled about, but Braves manager Walt Weiss is pleased with how Profar is handling it.

“To be honest, I don’t think any player is raising their hand, unless they’re a full-time DH, to say, ‘Yeah, I mean, that’s what I want to do,'” Weiss said, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “He’s a great teammate. We’ve had this conversation. [Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos] even called him before he signed [outfielder Mike] Yastrzemski to clear it with him.”

Profar wasn’t Marcell Ozuna-bad in the outfield last season, but he wasn’t far off either, ranking in the 8th percentile in Outs Above Average and the 13th percentile for Arm Value. He’s been a subpar defensive player his entire career, isn’t getting any younger as he enters his age-32 season, and is now coming off offseason groin surgery.

That makes him the most obvious choice to serve as the DH, but this isn’t a Marcell Ozuna situation. Profar is at least capable of playing the outfield when needed, and Walt Weiss has already made it clear he hopes to give regulars glorified off days by allowing them to DH from time to time to keep guys fresh throughout the grind of a 162-game season.

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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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