Evan Gattis left the game with back spasms last night - MLB

Some potentially bad news for the Braves: catcher Evan Gattis left last night’s game against the Phillies in the first inning with back spasms. He appeared to tweak something during his at-bat in the first inning and was replaced by Gerald Laird for the bottom half of the inning.

Gattis is listed as day-to-day. For what it’s worth, manager Fredi Gonzalez is optimistic:

“If he DLs, it’s going to be 15 days without him. And [head trainer Jeff Porter] doesn’t seem to think it’s going to be that long. So we’re not thinking about that move right now . . . he assured me that this could clear up in the next day or two.”

Of course Gonzalez is also optimistic that B.J. Upton is a leadoff hitter, so who knows.

Gattis is hitting .290/.342/.558 with 16 homers on the season.

CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”