Injury Update: Beachy & Gattis
June 10, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Atlanta Braves catcher
Evan Gattis(24) prior to the game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
The Atlanta Braves would like to have Brandon Beachy back, but they don’t really have to have him just now. The valued Atlanta starter is still working on his return from Tommy John surgery, and while he was hopeful of making a return to Atlanta in June, soreness in his elbow led to an extended rehab. He threw a good bullpen session yesterday, reportedly threw hard, and no setbacks from that have yet to be reported as of today.
When asked about the extended bullpen session, Brandon, always short and to the point, said:
"It went well, I felt good,. The plan right now is to see how I feel tomorrow."
Beachy plans to travel with the big club to Philadelphia and is expected to throw at least one more bullpen session before resuming his rehab outings with Gwinnett. Brandon has spent three years with the Atlanta Braves, compiling an overall ERA of 3.07, and showed increasing command as a starter before his 2012 season was cut short due to the need for surgery. The Braves’ Organization has been very careful with Beachy, and hope to ensure there are no more setbacks before he makes his return to the club.
The last time Evan Gattis played was back on Jun 17, being placed on the 15 day DL with a right oblique strain. Evan and the club were hopeful of a return by now, but Mark Bowman reported July 2 on Twitter that the ….
"Odds of Gattis returning before the AS break are decreasing. He still hasn’t been cleared to resume baseball activities."
Oblique issues are difficult to heal from, and there doesn’t seem to be a set timetable for any injury, with returns varying from player to player. Evan Gattis has been slowly coming along, but apparently is still quite sore from the strain. He reportedly took about 30 light swings today, but is being cautioned about overdoing it. Gattis has been a breath of fresh air for Atlanta this year, carrying a great deal of the load early in the season when Brian McCann was still recovering, and doing some stints in the outfield as well. He’s been Rookie of the Month twice already, in April and May, and has put together a line this year of .252/.317/.577, and has hit 14 homers with 37 RBIs in just 53 games. When manager Fredi Gonzalez was asked about Gattis, he spoke about being careful with the young, valuable rookie:
"It’s really small increments before you let him go out and take BP, especially with an oblique. You don’t want a twist and then go back to day one. You can’t afford a setback, for me, with the obliques. So you might as well take your time with it."