Braves' Marcell Ozuna benched after not hustling on 415-foot single
Atlanta Braves' Marcell Ozuna leans out of the way from the tag by Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Josh Rojas during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 3, 2023, in Phoenix. Ozuna advanced on a single by Orlando Arcia. Credit: AP/Darryl Webb
PHOENIX — Marcell Ozuna stayed at home plate way too long admiring his 415-foot single.
The Atlanta Braves slugger spent most of the rest of the game watching from the bench.
Ozuna was removed from the Braves' 8-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth inning Sunday after he failed to hustle on his long hit in the fourth inning in his second at-bat.
Ozuna's towering shot off Zac Gallen looked as though it was either going over the wall or into the glove of Arizona center fielder Jake McCarthy.
The ball instead hit an overhang just below the line for a home run. Ozuna was not running hard while watching the ball and had to stop at first.
Braves manager Brian Snitker replaced him as Atlanta's designated hitter with Sean Murphy.
“I guarantee he feels worse than I do for having to take him out,” Snitker said.
Ozuna, a two-time All-Star, is hitting .227 with 11 home runs and 23 RBIs in 44 games this season.
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