PITTSBURGH – Andrelton Simmons was back in the Braves lineup Wednesday, after leaving Tuesday's game in the sixth inning due to soreness in the general vicinity of his left hip and gluteus.
“I got good rest, got some stretching done, iced it,” the Gold Glove shortstop said before batting practice Wednesday. “I got some time off. So it feels pretty good.”
Having missed six games through Aug. 13 with a sprained left ankle, Simmons wanted to get back in the lineup as soon as possible and was relieved when the hip area responded to treatment.
He said it was sore at the beginning of Tuesday’s game, then worsened after he slid hard into second base on a second-inning stolen base. He scored that inning on Aaron Harang’s single, and drew a walk in the fifth inning and scored from second base on Jason Heyward’s single.
As he rounded third base on the latter play, Simmons felt some pain.
“That’s when I really knew it was going to be a tough (night),” he said. “It was there at the beginning of the game, as the game went on it got worse.
Simmons couldn’t cite anything specific that caused the initial soreness.
“Just playing baseball,” he said. “I don’t think (anything particular). Just running around.”
Manager Fredi Gonzalez noticed Simmons having some difficulty staying up straight on swings in the last three of his four plate appearances Tuesday and made the decision to replace him after he flied out in the sixth inning. Head trainer Jeff Porter told Gonzalez that Simmons was good to go Wednesday.
“He slides so hard, I’m always worried every time he slides — or doesn’t slide,” Gonzalez said. “It seems like it’s always something. Everything he does is so violent other than play shortstop. His swing is violent, his slide is violent. Every other part of his game other than playing short, this guy is Bambi on skates. He needs to wear a helmet all the time.”
