Evan Gattis STILL Out With Strep Throat

When we first heard about Evan Gattis being out of the lineup last week, the diagnosis was “strep throat – will probably miss the Texas series.”  That was September 8th.  Today is the 17th, and the 28-year-old slugger hasn’t played since then.

Two reports (here and here) have indicated that everyone involved is puzzled that this has continued to linger for well over a week now.  Gattis has seen doctors in two different cities since the initial diagnosis in an effort to get over this ailment and to get his bat back in the lineup.

Not that it matters so much right now, as the damage to the Braves’ playoff chances has already been done.

Sep 5, 2014; Evan Gattis (24) at Marlins Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Honestly, Christian Bethancourt has played well in his absence (batting .290 for the month and showing off both his speed and defensive skills), but you do have to wonder about the missing presence of Gattis’ power threat in the middle of that lineup – a lineup that’s been incredibly impotent this month.

Given our own musings on this site about future roster/lineup changes – which we will continue to speculate upon – it should not escape our attention that Atlanta is now 1-8 since Gattis first started feeling ill (he played despite the illness – going 0-4 – vs. Miami on Sept. 7th).  The team has scored 19 runs in those 9 games.

Beyond the baseball considerations, though:  a routine case of ‘strep throat’ is normally treated with routine antibiotics and is essentially over within 3-4 days.  The fact that this is now extending into an eleventh day is certainly a concern, though it doesn’t sound as if any serious alarms are going off – at least not yet.

We will continue to await further word, and hope the doctors can guide him to a quick recovery from here.