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Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Injuries to Rehab, Contracts to Mull

By Alan Carpenter

May 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Mallex Smith (17) tries to beat out a bunt attempt against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Marlins 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
May 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder Mallex Smith (17) tries to beat out a bunt attempt against the Miami Marlins at Turner Field. The Braves defeated the Marlins 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder
May 28, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves center fielder /

The New Year is now upon us and there’s a couple of injuries that could play a role in some Spring personnel decisions for the the Atlanta Braves.

The Atlanta Braves have traditionally erred on the side of caution with respect to injury rehab schedules and bringing players back from the disabled list.  Bobby Cox‘s routine was to wait until the player said he was ready to go… and then add one more day.

That could be tested a bit with two players that fans might like to see a lot of in 2017… though for various reasons, their re-entry into baseball might need to be slowed.

Braves’ Mallex Smith: Reinjures Oblique

CBSSPORTS.COM / ROTOWIRE STAFF [DEC 27]

Smith left his Puerto Rican league team after a recurrence of a strained oblique, the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s David O’Brien reports.

The oblique injury undermined his brief stint with a Mexican league team in October, as he has been unable to overcome the injury this offseason. Smith apparently wanted to continue to play in Puerto Rico, but the Braves brought him home as a precautionary measure.

[Ed. note:  this didn’t get a lot of play when DOB first reported the issue, but there’s a couple of important points:

  • First, we thought Mallex was getting winter ball time for the sake of getting reps after his broken thumb from earlier in 2016.  That didn’t happen.
  • Instead, he messed up an oblique… twice.

Because of this, Smith is probably shut down for the remainder of the Winter so that he can be ready for Spring.  That said, his entire off-season readiness routine – whatever that may have been – is bupkis.

So if you had any thought of Mallex Smith being on the Atlanta Braves Opening Day roster (that was already in serious doubt), then you might wish to reconsider.  The team will need to start him slowly and perhaps insure that he is careful about pre-stretching and such to care for those muscles.

Two oblique injuries in a row is a cause for concern – a concern that could sideline Smith for a lot longer than the off-season if this becomes a chronic issue. ]

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