McCann exits with left knee soreness vs. Miami

ATLANTA -- If the Braves are fortunate, the left knee soreness that forced Brian McCann to exit Tuesday night’s 5-1 win over the Marlins will prove to be a minor issue. But even so, there’s a good chance the veteran catcher will become the latest key position player added to Atlanta’s injured list.

McCann was unavailable for postgame comment because he left SunTrust Park to undergo tests at a local medical facility. But even if the diagnosis is positive, the Braves wouldn’t be able to spend just one day with Tyler Flowers as their only healthy catcher.

“We’ll get him checked tonight and see where he’s at in the morning,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said.

McCann felt discomfort during the third inning and exited before the start of the fourth. The 35-year-old catcher missed two months last year while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Alex Jackson, the Braves’ No. 25 prospect per MLB Pipeline, is the only other catcher currently on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. But coincidentally, approximately 30 minutes after McCann was removed, Jackson exited Triple-A Gwinnett’s game after getting hit by a foul ball.

If McCann is placed on the injured list and Jackson is unavailable, the Braves would have to make a 40-man roster move to create a spot for John Ryan Murphy, who was acquired from the D-backs on July 31 to enhance Atlanta’s organizational catching depth.

The Braves’ injured list already includes four key position players -- Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson. Inciarte could miss the rest of the regular season and Markakis will be sidelined at least three more weeks. Riley and Swanson could begin playing in Minor League rehab games by the end of the week.

“You deal with injuries all the time,” Snitker said. “We were fortunate for the majority of the year. It just seems like all of ours are coming all at once. The guys have responded. They keep hanging in there and they’re playing the game.”