Ian Anderson is scheduled to make a fourth rehabilitation start for Triple-A Gwinnett, likely Tuesday, before rejoining the Braves’ starting pitching rotation.
“Assuming that goes well, there’s a good chance at that point he gets slotted back in,” Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said Friday. “Right now, everything is certainly going in the right direction.”
Anderson, who is 5-5 with a 3.56 ERA in 18 starts for the Braves this season, hasn’t pitched in a major-league game since July 11, the day before the All-Star break. He was placed on the injured list after the break with right shoulder inflammation.
He has worked 9-2/3 innings in his first three rehab starts for Gwinnett, allowing five runs on nine hits. His most recent start was by far his best for the Stripers as he threw 4-1/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts.
The Braves also have outfielder Eddie Rosario on a rehab assignment at Gwinnett. Acquired from Cleveland at the trade deadline July 30, he has been on the injured list since July 7 with a right abdominal strain.
Rosario began his rehab assignment Aug. 9 and has struggled at the plate for Gwinnett, going 2-for-29 (.069) with one home run (a grand slam) through Thursday.
“We’re having him rotate between left field, right field, center field just to get him acclimated,” Anthopoulos said. “We’re trying to get his bat going. He hadn’t played in a long time.
“The one thing we don’t want to do is have him come up here and he’s cold and not ready to go, especially right now. Everyone is doing a good job up here, and the team is playing well, so that is allowing us some time to get him reps after being out for so long.”
Braves notebook
-- The Braves reached the final stop on their three-city, nine-game trip Friday, opening a three-game series in Baltimore. The Orioles, who have MLB’s worst record (38-82 before Friday), entered the series on a 15-game losing streak during which they’d been outscored 138-42. The Braves swept the first six games of the trip in Washington and Miami.
-- Braves manager Brian Snitker used Jorge Soler as the designated hitter at Camden Yards on Friday. Snitker said he “probably” will use Travis d’Arnaud at DH on Saturday and Soler again Sunday.
-- Max Fried, the Braves’ starting pitcher Friday, is hitting .342 (13-for-38) but lost his spot in the batting order to the DH. Said Snitker: “I told Max just a minute ago, ‘Who made this lineup up? You’re leading our team in hitting and can’t get in the lineup.’”
-- Scheduled pitching matchups this weekend: the Braves’ Drew Smyly (8-3 record, 4.50 ERA) against Orioles right-hander Matt Harvey (6-12, 6.25) on Saturday night and the Braves’ Touki Toussaint (2-2, 4.01) against Orioles left-hander John Means (5-5, 3.44) on Sunday afternoon.
