Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said that Marcell Ozuna was cramping on Tuesday and should play on Wednesday. Even if his hip is no longer an issue, there's reason to at least occasionally sit him and have either Drake Baldwin or Sean Murphy fill the designated hitter role, MLB.com's Mark Bowman reports. Ozuna played through some cramping in Tuesday's contest and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout, and should continue to occupy the designated hitter role in the Braves' lineup on Wednesday. Snitker may be suggesting that it's possible Ozuna may sit occasionally moving forward, allowing others to be integrated into the lineup. On the season, Ozuna is slashing .244/.369/.392 with 11 home runs, 40 RBI, and 25 runs scored.

Atlanta Braves outfielder/designated hitter Marcell Ozuna had a .287 average and .922 OPS through the first 30 games of the season despite battling through a hip injury. However, he had only five home runs and 12 RBI with 29 walks through his first 30 games after totaling 79 homers and 204 RBI in the last two seasons. Since then, he's hit just .224 with six home runs and a .700 OPS in 46 games before Thursday's contest, but he said two weeks ago that his hip was no longer an issue. He does have 15 RBI in his last 22 games, but he's also had just one home run and five extra-base hits. Ozuna currently is in the 90th percentile in xwOBA and 81st percentile for hard-hit rate, so as long as he stays healthy, there should be some positive regression coming in the second half for a Braves team that has had its share of offensive struggles in 2025.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports that Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna has been "included in a lot of trade speculation." Olney notes, however, that due to the veteran qualifying for 10-and-5 Rights, he'd be able to veto any trade set forth by the squad. Atlanta has their work cut out for them in the NL East with the Philadelphia Phillies up by double-digit games and the New York Mets right behind them in the standings. The Braves have a little more than a month to dig themselves out of their current hole and determine whether to sell or buy at the deadline. If Ozuna does find himself in new digs, it's hard to imagine he'll be in a better situation, lineup-wise, than he is now. He's regressed a bit this season while dealing with a hip tear, but still sports a solid .252/.385/.414 slash line with 11 homers.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna helped lead the club's offensive onslaught in a 12-4 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Friday. Ozuna came to the plate in the seventh inning in a 4-4 tie and slammed a three-run homer off right-hander Victor Vodnik to give the Braves the lead for good. He finished the night 1-for-4 with four RBI and a pair of strikeouts. Ozuna has just two HRs in a 19-game span, though he has been playing through a hip injury that may be sapping him of power.. The 34-year-old is still hitting a highly effective .257/.392/.430 with a career-best 17.8% walk rate in 286 plate appearances. However, with 11 homers and 34 RBI, Ozuna is well off the 40/100 pace he set in the previous two seasons. He'll face Rockies lefty Austin Gomber on Saturday. Ozuna has gone 3-for-7 against Gomber.

Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said that outfielder Marcell Ozuna (hip) has been playing through a hip injury that will need to be managed for the rest of the season. "It's one of those things he is going to have to manage and get to the offseason," Anthopoulos said. As things stand now, the 34-year-old veteran isn't going on the injured list, but the Braves could give him more frequent rest when it's warranted. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger winner has had a strong .284/.427/.474 slash line and .901 OPS in 55 games so far in 2025, including a league-high 48 walks, 10 home runs, 25 RBI and 27 runs scored for the Braves. Ozuna hasn't shown any signs of being affected by an injury as a hitter so far this year, but his production will be closely watched now. Fantasy managers should continue starting Ozuna as they normally would.

Atlanta Braves DH Marcell Ozuna had a productive game in an 8-7 loss to the Washington Nationals in 10 innings on Thursday. Ozuna went 3-for-4 with a homer, two runs, two RBI, and a walk, but it wasn't quite enough to knock off the Nationals. The veteran slugger is now hitting .278 with nine homers, 24 runs, and 24 RBI across 158 at-bats this season. Ozuna is showing signs of heating up, as he's hitting .320 with three homers and nine RBI over his past seven contests. He remains a prominent power hitter for fantasy leagues.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna went 2-for-4 with two singles in Thursday's 5-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds. The veteran also struck out twice. Ozuna is still getting on base at a strong clip, but he's slowed down power-wise over the last week or so, collecting just one extra-base hit in his previous nine games. While he doesn't boast the same gaudy pace he was on in 2024, the elite quality of contact metrics remains, as he bolsters well-above-average marks in that regard. The 34-year-old holds an absurd 20.8% walk rate -- the best in the league -- and has lowered his strikeout percentage to a palatable 21.5% (32:31 K:BB ratio). Look for the power to tick back up again soon.

The Atlanta Braves sent outfielder Marcell Ozuna (hip) back to Atlanta on Monday for an exploratory MRI exam on his injured hip, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Justin Toscano. The MRI showed inflammation but nothing serious, and Ozuna is considered day-to-day. While it seems that the 34-year-old veteran slugger has avoided a serious injury, he's expected to miss the entire three-game series in Toronto against the Blue Jays. Atlanta has the day off on Thursday before returning home on Friday to start a weekend series against the Minnesota Twins. Fantasy managers will want to check back then to see if Ozuna is feeling good enough to return to the starting lineup. With Ozuna out on Monday, Bryan De La Cruz served as the designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in the 8-4 victory.

Atlanta Braves outfielder/designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (leg) is out of the team's starting lineup on Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center due to a minor leg injury. However, manager Brian Snitker isn't too concerned. Bryan De La Cruz will serve as the designated hitter and will bat fifth against Blue Jays left-hander Easton Lucas for the series opener. It's good news that Ozuna's injury doesn't sound very serious, but fantasy managers will need to pull him from their lineups on Monday and check back to see if he's available to play in Game 2 of the series in Canada on Tuesday. The 28-year-old De La Cruz should be avoided in DFS lineups for Monday's slate because of his slow start in 2025. The Dominican outfielder has gone just 8-for-39 (.205) with no home runs, a stolen base and 16 strikeouts in his 42 plate appearances over 13 games.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna was Thursday night's hero for the Braves, going 3-for-5 and hitting a two-run, walk-off home run in the 11th inning of the team's 4-1 win. Ozuna jumped on an 0-1 slider from Joe Ross and lined it 413 feet into the left-center field seats. The game didn't wrap up until almost 1:00 a.m. ET after a rain delay, but at least the fans who stayed went home happy after the Braves took two of three games from the Phillies and went 3-2 on their homestand after their disastrous road trip to start the season. Ozuna is hitting .316 (12-for-38) with two homers, seven RBI, 15 walks, and a .459 wOBA. He and the Braves will look to carry their momentum into their weekend series against the Rays in Tampa.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna went 1-for-4 with a single and a run scored in his team's 7-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. The veteran also walked and struck out once. It's taking Ozuna a bit to get going in 2025, as he's batting just .241 with two extra-base hits (one double, one homer) across his first 29 at-bats -- scoring seven runs and driving in five. Still, it's worth noting that he's walking 32.6% of the time, notching at least one base on balls in all but two of his appearances. The exit velocity numbers look good for the 34-year-old, as his 93.2 MPH exceeds his 2024 average of 92.1. It isn't time to panic just yet. Ozuna should begin to heat up along with the weather.

The Atlanta Braves exercised designated hitter Marcell Ozuna's $16 million club option for the 2025 season on Monday. It was a no-brainer decision for the Braves after Ozuna was once again one of the best all-around hitters in the game in 2024. The 33-year-old veteran Dominican slugger helped carry Atlanta's offense this year with Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) suffering a season-ending torn ACL. Ozuna made the All-Star team for the third time in his career and finished his fifth year with the Braves with an impressive .302/.378/.546 slash line, .925 OPS, 39 home runs, 104 RBI, one steal and career-high 96 runs scored in a league-high 162 games played. He's recorded a whopping 79 home runs and 204 RBI the last two seasons, but his loss of outfield eligibility makes him a bit more volatile for fantasy managers heading into 2025.

Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said that the team is planning to exercise their club option for the 2025 season on outfielder/designated hitter Marcell Ozuna for $16 million. It's a no-brainer decision after Ozuna made the All-Star team for the third time in his career in 2024 by hitting .302/.378/.546 with a .925 OPS, 39 home runs, 104 RBI and 96 runs scored in 688 plate appearances over a full 162-game season. It was the first time that Ozuna played in all 162 games in his career, and he's now clubbed 79 home runs and driven in 204 runs in 306 games for the Braves the last two regular seasons while slashing .289/.364/.552 with a .916 OPS. The 33-year-old was helped health-wise by the fact that he played all 162 of his games as the team's DH. Ozuna tried to pick up the slack as best he could offensively with Ronald Acuna Jr. (knee) and Austin Riley (hand) suffering injuries this year.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna went 3-for-4 in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Reds, collecting his 38th home run of the season, smacking two doubles, driving in two, and scoring twice as well. The home run ended a remarkable 26-game homerless drought for the 33-year-old. Even still, the veteran slugger has put together a strong season for the Braves, posting a .306-38-100-92-0 line. The final month of the season has been the most productive for the 3x All-Star throughout his career, slashing .294/.364/.522 during that time, so he may be heating back up again at just the right time for fantasy managers navigating the fantasy playoffs.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna continued to provide elite power in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Phillies. Ozuna went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk, and two strikeouts. The 33-year-old clobbered a fifth-inning Zack Wheeler fastball 432 feet to straight-away center to put the Braves up by one. Ozuna has once again been a top fantasy contributor, slashing .309/.382/.597 with 37 HR, 80 runs scored, and 94 RBI in 531 plate appearances. Only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have more HR than Ozuna, proving that he is still an elite source of power for fantasy managers.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna went a perfect 3-for-3 with a home run and a walk in Saturday's 11-3 win over the Angels. The 33-year-old also drove in three runs and scored three times in a productive day at the plate. It was his second consecutive three-hit game and the home run was his 35th of the season, just two behind Shohei Ohtani for the N.L. lead. Now with 90 RBI, the veteran is the N.L. league leader in that category. The 3x All-Star is slashing .307/.379/.590 on the year with a .409 wOBA and 164 wRC+.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna went 1-for-4 in Friday's 6-5 loss to the Rockies, belting his 34th home run of the season, and has now homered in back-to-back games. The blast temporarily tied him for the N.L. lead until Shohei Ohtani hit his 35th later on in the night. Still, Ozuna sits alone atop the N.L. as the RBI leader with 89. The 33-year-old is having a phenomenal encore to his robust 2023 campaign, now slashing .298/.372/.585 with a .404 wOBA and 161 wRC+.

In the second game of a doubleheader Saturday, Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna slammed two home runs in a 9-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The veteran slugger took St. Louis starter Sonny Gray deep in the fourth and sixth innings, his 27th and 28th of the year. Ozuna is now hitting .305 with the 28 home runs, 79 RBI, and 60 runs scored. He is making a serious run at the National League Most Valuable Player award with this consistently high production.

Atlanta Braves DH Marcell Ozuna had a big night in his team's 6-1 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday. Ozuna went 2-for-4 with two solo homers to power his team to the win. Ozuna's first homer tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth inning. He then later came back and added an insurance run in the ninth with a monster shot that traveled 422 feet with an exit velocity of 108.1 MPH. Ozuna is putting together an excellent year, batting .301 with 26 homers, 57 runs, and 77 RBI over 346 at-bats. The veteran slugger will be making his first appearance in MLB's Home Run Derby on Monday.

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Phillies, recording two RBI and a run scored. It was the second consecutive game with a home run for the 33-year-old and was his 23rd of the season. The 2x All-Star has picked up right where he left off last season, continuing his offensive barrage with a. 298-23-72-51-0 line in 2024 to go with a .405 wOBA and 164 wRC+.