Walt Weiss Provides Update on Martin Perez Injury

Atlanta Braves left-hander Martin Perez was forced out of Sunday's start against the New York Mets after a Juan Soto liner hit him on the left forearm in the fifth inning, and the early news from manager Walt Weiss is at least somewhat encouraging.

Weiss told reporters after the game, via MLB.com's Mark Bowman, that he does not believe the forearm is fractured, though more imaging will likely be needed before the team knows the full picture and Perez will head to the injured list regardless.

The timing could not be much worse for an Atlanta rotation that has dealt with injuries all season long.

Perez came into Sunday's game carrying a 6-5 record and a 3.27 ERA across 17 appearances this year, and he had quietly been one of the Braves' most reliable arms since rejoining the starting rotation back in mid-May.

The 35-year-old veteran, who won a World Series ring with the Rangers in 2023, has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen multiple times this season and has been solid in both roles while Atlanta's younger arms have missed time.

With the club already navigating the losses of Spencer Strider and several other arms, Perez was someone the Braves were counting on to eat innings heading into the All-Star break.

Losing him, even for a short stretch, puts more strain on a staff that has been stretched thin for months.

The injury news almost got overshadowed by one of the craziest finishes at Truist Park this season.

After the Braves jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first inning behind an Ozzie Albies double and a Michael Harris II RBI single, their bats went silent over the next seven frames as Mets starter Nolan McLean settled in.

New York took a 5-3 lead after a four-run second inning, and the score stayed that way all the way through eight.

The ninth inning turned everything upside down when Carlos Carrasco got rocked for five runs in the top of the frame, and suddenly the Mets had a 10-3 lead that looked like enough to put things away.

But the Braves rallied in the bottom half when the first four batters reached, with a Brazobán pickoff error bringing home the first run before Drake Baldwin launched his first career grand slam to pull it to 10-8.

Matt Olson doubled, Harris II singled home a run and Mauricio Dubón singled to put the tying run on third and the winning run on second with two outs, but Dominic Smith struck out against closer Devin Williams to end it at 10-9.

The loss drops the Braves to 52-36 on the season, still first in the NL East, while the Mets moved to 37-53.

For a Braves team that has already been through so much this year, the bigger concern is Perez's health and how quickly he can get back on the mound.