Braves right fielder Nick Markakis is progressing ahead of schedule in his recovery from a fractured wrist. But by the team’s viewpoint, Markakis’ accelerated recovery is more the expected.
Markakis is in a removable cast, with his bone healing faster than initially expected, manager Brian Snitker said before Friday’s game in New York.
“It’ll still take more time,” Snitker said, not cuing a time estimate. “But it’s all pointing really good. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s healing ahead of schedule. But it’s going to be real stiff. It takes a while to loosen everything up before he starts swinging a bat.”
The Braves and Markakis were hoping for a mid-September return, which is conceivable if Markakis remains on his current track. The team has relied on a combination of Matt Joyce and Rafael Ortega in his absence, patching together an outfield with Ender Inciarte and Austin Riley also sidelined.
When Markakis went down, Snitker stated faith the stalwart would outpace the anticipated recovery time. This is Markakis’ first stint on the injured list since 2012.
“The (return) goal would be awesome to be mid-September,” Markakis said two weeks ago. “It could be sooner, could be later. It’s hard to tell how it’s healing. All I can say is we’re staying on top of it and we’re trying to heal it up as quick as we can. But it’s a bone issue. Your body is going to take care of it itself. It’s just a matter of how quick.”
Before getting pegged by a fastball July 26, the ironman right fielder played in 104 games, hitting .284/.358/.429 with 22 doubles, nine homers and 55 RBIs. Markakis missed only two games across 2017-18. He hadn’t played fewer than 156 in a season since joining the Braves before 2015.
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