Jason Getz – USA TODAY Sports
In a year that’s considered career defining for Atlanta Braves center fielder Melvin Upton Jr., the last thing he needed was to miss time due to an injury. According to reports out of the Braves spring training camp, Upton Jr. will be out until sometime in May with a left foot injury.
It was beginning to sound as if Upton Jr. was turning over a new leaf and the name change from B.J. to his birth name Melvin seemed to symbolize him putting the past behind him and looking forward to a new start in 2015. What this injury means (which is classified as sesamoiditis), is that his spot will now be auditioned to newcomers Eury Perez, Eric Young Jr., Zoilo Almonte and possibly Todd Cunningham.
For a player who has yet to find success in a Braves uniform, it was imperative for Upton Jr. to hit the ground running this spring with a solid showing to prove to the organization and fans that he is ready to live up to his $75 million dollar contract. Now, he will have to wait in limbo as these players will undoubtedly give it their all to see that Upton Jr. has no shot at regaining his spot as a fixture in the Braves lineup.
There could indeed be a silver lining to this, though. Upton Jr. is owed $46 million on his contract, and if one or more of these players step up, the Braves may go ahead and eat the rest of his contract and release him mid-year. While that may please Braves fans, I’m sure there are many who wanted to see if the third time was the charm for Upton Jr. and whether or not his first two seasons in Atlanta were simply an aberration and not the norm.
Be that as it may, this is not a positive, no matter how Upton wants to spin it. He is being paid like a franchise player and is expected to provide franchise production. If others prohibit him from doing so due to good play, his season is over, along with his career with the Braves.
If Upton Jr. wants a chance at a comeback, he best make a speedy recovery and pray the others outfielders don’t have a breakout performance early on.
Brandon Williams is an Atlanta Braves writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter, @BfreshAlum4UA, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network.on Google.
