The Atlanta Braves injury woes continue as we all wake up on Easter morning. This was an expected move after comments made by Brian Snitker following last nights game but the club made an official statement regarding the roster move around 9:45 am ET.

Travis d’Arnaud had a nasty encounter with Rougned Odor in the top of the fourth inning of last nights game and was placed on the 7 Day Concussion IL the following morning. Chadwick Tromp was recalled to Atlanta to presumably serve as the backup catcher for Sean Murphy who should now get a little bit of regular playing time in a Braves uniform. I’m no rules expert and I’m not exactly sure what to make of this play. Travis saved a run by working back towards the plate and not allowing Odor to touch home. Charlie Morton stepped off after the collision and threw a challenge pitch. Odor was called out due to the fact that he went back and touched home after Ha-Seong Kim, who followed, crossed the plate. What most Braves fans are bringing up online is, why didn’t Odor slide to avoid the contact?

Here is what MLB.com says about the rule:

The baserunner is not allowed to deviate from his direct path to initiate contact with the catcher (or any player covering the plate). Runners are considered to be in violation of this rule if they collide with the catcher in cases where a slide could have been used to avoid the collision. If the umpire determines that the runner violated this rule, the runner shall be ruled out and the ball is dead. The other runners must return to the last base they had touched at the time of the collision.

The catcher is not permitted to block the runner’s path to the plate unless he is in possession of the ball, though blocking the path of the runner in a legitimate attempt to receive a throw is not considered a violation. The runner can be ruled safe if the umpire determines the catcher violated this rule. But per a September 2014 memorandum to the rule, the runner may still be called out if he was clearly beaten by the throw. Backstops are not subject to this rule on force plays.

When receiving a throw, catchers will often provide a sliding lane into home plate for the runner to lower the possibility that they will be called for violating the rule. Likewise, runners can lower their chances of being called for a violation by sliding in the given lane.

Odor stayed in the game after Brian Snitker had a conversation with home plate umpire Chad Fairchild and the game went on. Sean Murphy came in to replace Travis in the top of the sixth inning. The Braves now have the following players on the injured list: Raisel Iglesias, Max Fried, Kyle Wright, Collin McHugh, Travis d’Arnaud and Michael Harris II. While this looks bleak, I have to tell myself that it’s only April 9th and to think about how amazing this team will be when fully healthy.

Chadwick Tromp will come into Atlanta with a .294/.368/.353 slash line through four games with the Gwinnett Stripers this season. His BABIP sits at .417 so maybe he can bring some of that batted ball luck with him. Sean Murphy should see the bulk of the playing time in Travis’s absence but the tandem has some big shoes to fill. Travis has been one of the hottest hitters on the team this year and is a pillar is the clubhouse. Concussions are a scary thing and Travis is no stranger, but we’re all hoping for a quick and painless rehabilitation and look forward to having him back on the field as soon as possible. I would love to hear this community’s thoughts on the play at the plate and the rules involved in the bar linked below.