It’s “going to be a little while” until top outfield prospect Cristian Pache returns, Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
Pache suffered a Grade-2 ankle sprain during Monday’s intrasquad game. He’s now at the alternate camp in Gwinnett, where he’ll eventually work out with other players who won’t factor into the Braves’ immediate plans.
The speedy outfielder was injured on a late slide at second base. He walked off on his own power and Snitker said after the game that the medical staff thought Pache could play the next day. The soreness proved worse than they anticipated, Pache was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup and has since been sidelined.
“It’s not bad, but he’s going to need a few days,” Snitker said Wednesday.
A healthy Pache might make his major-league debut later this season. Pache, 21, has impressed with his physical growth and maturity over the past two years. To start the season, the Braves will rely on outfield combinations determined by matchups. Ronald Acuna, Marcell Ozuna, Ender Inciarte, Adam Duvall and soon-to-be signee Yasiel Puig are their primary outfielders.
Baseball America rated Pache as the Braves’ No. 1 prospect entering the season, giving him 70-grade running, fielding and arm. The publication added it’s “easy to project Pache as a Gold Glove center fielder.”
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