NEW YORK — Braves third-base coach Brian Snitker stayed in Atlanta to have his back examined Friday after experiencing what manager Fredi Gonzalez described as leg numbness or "drop foot" symptoms. Snitker was expected to rejoin the team in New York for Saturday's game against the Mets.
“Last couple of days he’s been fighting this back (issue), so he stayed back to see the specialist this morning,” Gonzalez said Friday at Citi Field, where the Braves were scheduled to begin a five-game road trip. “ It wasn’t as bad as we thought it was, so he’ll be back tomorrow.”
Gonzalez said bench coach Carlos Tosca would serve as third-base coach in Snitker’s absence.
Asked if Snitker had back spasms, Gonzalez said, “No, it was like he couldn’t feel his leg. The drop-foot type thing.”
The Mayo Clinic website says that foot drop, sometimes called drop foot, “is a general term for difficulty lifting the front part of the foot. If you have foot drop, you may drag the front of your foot on the ground when you walk. Foot drop isn’t a disease. Rather, foot drop is a sign of an underlying neurological, muscular or anatomical problem. Sometimes foot drop is temporary. In other cases, foot drop is permanent.”
