Atlanta Braves infielder Whit Merrifield has a left foot fracture but might be able to return by next weekend's series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Truist Park.

Merrifield suffered the injury after fouling a ball off his foot in Friday's win over the Toronto Blue Jays. A CT scan and MRI revealed a fracture in his foot and he was expected to be out six to eight weeks.

However, after consulting with a foot specialist Saturday, Merrifield received better news.

"When they saw the CT scan and saw the small fracture, automatically it was six to eight [weeks]," manager Brian Snitker said, according to MLB.com. "Then they talked to the foot specialist, he said, 'He's not going to hurt it anymore. It's about what he can tolerate.'"

Merrifield called it a "stable fracture" and said it was going to be a "pain tolerance thing" once the swelling went down.

The Braves added Merrifield in July after he was released by the Philadelphia Phillies. He's batting .243 with a .701 OPS in 34 games with Atlanta this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.