Justin Upton remains out of lineup for Atlanta Braves
By Brad Rowland
UPDATE: Multiple outlets are reporting that Upton felt worse on Friday than the previous days, and Mark Bowman indicates that he has been sent to undergo further testing.
Justin Upton arrived today feeling worse (dizziness) than he had the past couple days. The #Braves have sent him to undergo other tests
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) June 20, 2014
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Earlier in the day, we broke down the pitching match-up between Mike Minor and Stephen Strasburg on Friday night, setting the stage for what should be an entertaining ballgame. Unfortunately, a bit of luster was lost from the festivities on Friday afternoon, as for the third consecutive game, outfielder Justin Upton is out of the starting lineup for the Atlanta Braves.
#Braves lineup vs Strasburg: La Stella 4, BJ Upton 8, Freeman 3, Gattis 2, Heyward 9, Johnson 5, Simmons 6, Schafer 7, Minor 1
— Kevin McAlpin (@KevinMcAlpin) June 20, 2014
The 26-year-old Upton did make an appearance as a pinch-hitter in Thursday night’s victory over the Washington Nationals, but since leaving Tuesday night’s loss to the Phillies with reported dizziness, the slugger has remained on the sidelines for the most part. Justin Upton has been, without question, one of the best offensive players on the Atlanta roster this season, posting a .276/.350/.508 slash line with 14 home runs in less than 300 plate appearances, and his absence is a significant one in an offensively-challenged lineup.
Without further information, it would appear as if this is simply another day to allow Upton to “get right”, but because Fredi Gonzalez all but said that he would be back on Friday, the omission is an intriguing one. Stay tuned for additional updates as they come, but for one game on Friday night, the Atlanta Braves will be going to battle with Jordan Schafer against Stephen Strasburg.