LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Braves catcher Evan Gattis was out of the lineup Friday for the third consecutive game since straining the quadriceps muscle in his right thigh.
He hasn’t played since Monday, when he hurt it running to score from first base on Dan Uggla’s triple against the Astros. Gattis stayed in and legged out a double in his next at-bat before leaving the game.
The Braves were off Tuesday, and Gattis was scratched from the lineup Wednesday when the soreness lingered. He wasn’t in the lineup Thursday or Friday and is questionable for games this weekend.
He and the Braves are still characterizing it his absence as precautionary, and Gattis said he could play if it were the regular season.
“It’s just a little tight,” he said. “I thought that off day would take care of it, but it was still tight…. They’re taking it slow. Whenever I came in and told them I needed a day, they said it’s probably not going to be only one. Just because not going to have you go out and hurt it worse. Quads are apparently slow (to heal). If you hurt it bad it’s four to six (weeks)."
“So even if it’s a couple more days, that’s better than four to six (weeks).”
