In the pouring rain Monday afternoon, injured Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman took another step in his recovery when he threw for five minutes on the field at SunTrust Park.
Freeman fractured his left wrist May 17 when hit by a pitch. He didn’t require surgery and the initial estimate was that he’d miss about 10 weeks. That would put his return around late July or early August, but the Braves haven’t given a specific timetable or updated that estimate.
Braves manager Brian Snitker said Freeman has received good reports on all follow-up exams. He is being monitored closely.
Freeman was limited to conditioning drills and running the bases, that kind of thing, before he got his cast off a week ago. He was cleared to throw for the first time Monday, when he threw for five minutes under the watchful eyes of Braves head physician and hand specialist Gary Lourie.
Rain cut short the Braves’ pregame batting practice Monday, but it didn’t stop Freeman from going to right field, just beyond the tarp covering the infield, and do the scheduled throwing session. When he finished his white T-shirt was soaked through.
“It’s just a matter of him being in the different intervals, just looking at the healing,” Freeman said. “They keep X-raying it and I think they’re doing more aggressive rehab stuff for the wrist. But he’s fine. I don’t know when he’s scheduled to start hitting or putting a bat in his hands or anything like that. We’re still waiting. So we’re just doing the normal progressions.”
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