Braves reliever Gonzalez returns to action

By CARROLL ROGERS

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Reliever Mike Gonzalez declared himself ready to pitch Sunday, after taking an additional three games off after the All-Star break to rest his sore elbow.

Gonzalez threw a bullpen session Saturday and came away feeling good.

“I threw about 75 percent, tested it, and there was no pain,” he said.

Gonzalez was diagnosed last week with tendinitis in his surgically repaired left elbow and had his return delayed after the pain moved lower in his arm. But that turned out to be a good sign, Gonzalez said, helping to affirm the problem wasn’t structural.

Gonzalez pitched a scoreless eighth inning Sunday night.

Injury updates

● Super utility man Omar Infante took his first swings in two months Saturday as he began to work his way back from his broken finger. Infante took 50 dry swings (without any contact) and planned to add 25-30 to that total in another round on Sunday. It’ll likely be a few weeks before Infante is ready to go out on a minor league rehabilitation assignment.

● Reliever Jorge Campillo was back in the Braves clubhouse Sunday six weeks removed from shoulder surgery. After a follow-up doctor’s appointment, Campillo is scheduled to head out later in the week to Arizona to begin his rehabilitation at a clinic there. If all goes well, he’ll be back in Atlanta in a month to begin a throwing program. He is out for the season but could be pitching again by winter ball.

Campillo had scar tissue and bone chips cleaned out of his shoulder by Dr. James Andrews in a procedure Campillo said was similar to the surgery Tom Glavine had last August.