The Atlanta Braves have been without second baseman Ozzie Albies since late July, when he went down with a fractured left wrist. While his return date is still up in the air, Albies is hopeful that it will be sometime this season.

While Albies eyes a return this season, Braves skipper Brian Snitker remains unsure. The two have not discussed it yet.

The Braves are currently fighting for a playoff spot, and the return of Ozzie Albies may be just what the team needs.

More Braves News:

Whit Merrifield returned (on a fractured foot) and the Braves opened the series with a 6-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rome’s playoff elimination headlines the latest minor league recap.

The Chicago Cubs claimed right-hander Jimmy Herget off waivers from the Braves and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa.

In the latest Braves Dispatch, Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discusses Brian Snitker’s case for NL Manager of the Year.

MLB News:

Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McLain will not return this season after facing a setback during his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery.

New York Mets reliever Dedniel Nuñez is out for the remainder of the season due to a flexor injury. He received an injection Friday and will hopefully avoid surgery.

Jacob deGrom made his season debut with the Texas Rangers, reaching 98.7 mph in his first big league appearance since April 2023.

The New York Yankees have moved right-hander Marcus Stroman to the bullpen for the time being.

The Texas Rangers extended Chris Young and promoted the former general manager to president of baseball operations.

The New York Mets are calling up top prospect Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Ronald Acuña Jr.

De’Andre Hunter is coming off his fifth season in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks.

The former Virginia star finished the year with averages of 15.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest while shooting 45.9% from the field and 38.5% from the three-point range in 57 games.

Hunter is an intriguing player who is only 26, so it’s possible he could still improve over the next few seasons.

Next year, he will be paid $21.7 million, and he still has nearly $70 million left on his contract over the next three seasons.

There have been a lot of rumors about the Hawks looking to trade Hunter over the previous two seasons.

Via Evan Sidery on June 26: “With the Hawks preparing to select Zaccharie Risacher, De’Andre Hunter is being shopped to interested teams.

Hunter, the No. 4 pick from the 2019 draft, has three years remaining on his current deal.

Atlanta will move forward with Jalen Johnson and Risacher on the wing.”

While the rumors were hot during that period of the NBA Draft and free agency, Hunter appears to be heading into his sixth season with the Hawks.

On the other hand, he could end up being a player that gets discussed at the 2025 trade deadline.

Hunter was the fourth pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

His career averages are 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest while shooting 44.7% from the field and 36.3% from the three-point range in 263 regular season games.

He helped the Hawks reach the Eastern Conference finals in 2021.

The Atlanta Falcons revealed their Friday injury report before Monday night’s road game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and it includes a new name.

During Friday’s practice, Atlanta was without starting linebacker Nate Landman, while backup nickel cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. and starting right tackle Kaleb McGary were limited. Those three were also on Thursday’s injury report.

Sixth-round rookie running back Jase McClellan, however, was not. McClellan, who was inactive in the season-opening 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, has a knee injury and was limited Friday. He has not been on any previous injury report since reporting for the start of training camp.

Landman has battled a lingering quad injury for several weeks, and the team added a calf ailment to his designation Friday. Hamilton and McGary are contending with groin injuries. Hamilton missed the loss to the Steelers with his injury, while McGary was a new addition to the injury report this week.

In practice Thursday, McGary was limited while Landman and Hamilton were both out.

An undrafted free agent in 2022, Landman played in 16 games with 14 starts last season, logging 110 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. He drew the start against the Steelers and saw 37 snaps alongside Kaden Elliss in the middle of Atlanta’s defense.

If Landman is inactive Monday, Troy Andersen, who played the other 31 defensive snaps while Landman was off the field against Pittsburgh, figures to see a bulk of the workload next to Elliss.

McGary had a difficult time in the Falcons’ loss to Pittsburgh. He allowed two pressures, one sack and a quarterback hit, according to Pro Football Focus, which graded his pass blocking at 38.1. The 2019 first-round pick often faced star Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, one of the league’s best pass rushers.

Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said Thursday afternoon Atlanta planned on helping McGary in the matchup by sending chip blocks his way, but the team failed to execute.

Hamilton, who signed with the Falcons this spring and had an impressive preseason, started nine games for the Arizona Cardinals a season ago. He spent this summer as the No. 2 nickel behind Dee Alford.

Atlanta returns to the practice field Saturday in Flowery Branch before heading to the northeast for a Week 2 primetime matchup. The Falcons and Eagles will kick off at 8:15 p.m. Monday inside Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.