It’s not often you see a 415-foot single, and Braves manager Brian Snitker apparently never wants to see another one again.
Snitker removed designated hitter Marcell Ozuna from Sunday’s win over the Diamondbacks in Phoenix after he stared at a long drive to center in the fourth inning, seemingly believing he had a home run.
However, the ball hit off the wall under the home run line, and because he wasn’t running, Ozuna ended up with just a single.
Ozuna was taken out of the game when his next turn at-bat came up in the sixth, as Sean Murphy pinch-hit for him.
“I guarantee [Ozuna] feels worse than I do for having to take him out,” Snitker told reporters after the game.
Ozuna, 32, is hitting .316 with a 1.018 OPS, nine home runs, and 21 RBIs in his last 26 games.
For the season, Ozuna is hitting .227 with a .780 OPS, 11 home runs, and 23 RBIs.
The two-time All-Star is in his fourth season with the Braves and in the third season of a four-year, $65 million contract.
Ozuna was arrested in 2021 after allegedly assaulting his wife.
MLB placed Ozuna on administrative leave that season and ended up giving him a 20-game suspension for violating the league’s domestic violence policy.
The games Ozuna missed at the end of the 2021 season counted as a served suspension.
Ozuna was then arrested for DUI last August, reaching a plea deal in the case last month in which he paid a $1,000 fine.
