Atlanta Braves stir up controversy with Marcell Ozuna decision

The Atlanta Braves inserted Marcell Ozuna into the starting lineup of Sunday’s series finale against the Houston Astros at Truist Park. The decision came roughly 57 hours after Ozuna had once again run into trouble with the law, this time being arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

There were plenty of swift reactions after the Atlanta Braves decided to start Marcell Ozuna just hours after his arrest

It’s the second time Ozuna has made headlines for all of the wrong reasons in a Braves uniform, following an arrest last May on domestic violence charges. Ozuna had those charges against him dropped after completing a pretrial diversion program, but was suspended for 20 games and was not a part of the Atlanta Braves run to their World Series title last season.

With his latest arrest, however, the Braves were willing to let Ozuna take the field in a key contest against the Astros, a rematch of last year’s World Series. After the Braves posted Sunday’s lineup on Twitter showing Ozuna batting eighth, many fans felt the decision seemed tone-deaf to a situation that shouldn’t be taken lightly on any level.

Atlanta’s decision to play Ozuna comes as the outfielder is slashing just .214/.263/.393 this season heading into Sunday and had not seen action in a game since August 14. The problem for the franchise, however, lies in the fact that they have few options with Ozuna until the legal findings surrounding the arrest are finalized, according to MLB insider Ken Rosenthal.

“The Braves aren’t going to do anything until they get official word on the matter, until the legal process is resolved,” Rosenthal says in the video interview above. “They won’t comment until then. They won’t act until then.”

While the Braves may be in limbo when it comes to Ozuna’s status, inserting him into the lineup on Sunday was certainly an interesting decision that brought plenty of criticism along with it.