Braves third baseman Chris Johnson (hand) is on schedule to begin a minor-league rehabilitation assignment on Monday and rejoin the team on Thursday.
Johnson was to play in an extended spring training game in Florida on Saturday and, if there were no issues, take batting practice at Turner Field on Sunday. He’s then scheduled to play three games with Triple-A Gwinnett before joining the Braves on Thursday in San Francisco.
Johnson has been out since April 30 with a fracture and bone bruises in his left hand. An MRI showed the fracture was an old injury that Johnson aggravated when he slid into second base and jammed his thumb.
Johnson is hitting .279 (12-for-43) with a .347 on-base percentage in 16 games. He was playing in a platoon with Alberto Callaspo and Kelly Johnson before his injury and the team’s depth at third base took more hits when Kelly Johnson (oblique) and Phil Gosselin (thumb) both were placed on the disabled list within the past two weeks.
