Atlanta Braves centerfielder Melvin Upton Jr. (aka B.J. Upton) will miss the rest of Spring Training because of a left foot injury. Upton had an MRI done Friday afternoon and the results showed inflammation in his left foot.

The specific name for his injury is called sesamoiditis, which is inflammation in the bone behind the ball of his left foot.  He will miss the remainder of Spring Training and will probably remain on the disabled list several weeks into the regular season. The timetable is between six and eight weeks.

Melvin will be in a hard cast for a couple weeks and then placed in a walking boot for the remaining four weeks or so. The Braves Opening Day is April 6th in Miami to face the Marlins. If all goes well Upton will be able to start baseball activities and look to make his season debut around late-April, early-May.

It’s no secret that the formally known B.J. Upton had struggled in his first two years as an Atlanta Brave. In 267 games played Upton has a slash line of .198/.279/.314 with 21 homeruns, 61 runs batted in, and a whopping 324 strikeouts. So far he has fallen way short of producing to the tone of a five-year $72 million contract.

Now with Melvin Upton Jr. on the shelf for a while this gives several roster invitees a chance to grab another spot on the big league club. Todd Cunningham, Zoilo Almonte, Eury Perez, and Eric Young Jr. are the four candidates that are likely to earn the starting centerfield job. This is a classic situation where one man is down and another man steps up to take his place. I expect these guys to compete tooth and nail for this great opportunity. Don’t be surprised if manager Fredi Gonzalez uses a platoon system in centerfield, as well as left field with veteran Jonny Gomes.

With him swapping to his birth name to go along with the new-look team and new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer there was a small token of optimism. His brother Justin Upton is gone and this writer has to wonder if the elder Upton might perform better without the sibling rivalry? It’s not a season-ending injury but it will be awhile before we can see if Upton has made the necessary adjustments to get his once productive career back on track.