Braves reliever Shae Simmons is on track to rejoin the team within the next two weeks after he’s had some promising minor-league rehabilitation outings.
Simmons had Tommy John elbow surgery in February 2015 and the Braves placed him on a longer rehabilitation schedule than they’d used in the past. Entering Wednesday he’d pitched three innings in the minors this season while allowing two hits, no runs, striking out seven batters and walking three.
Simmons made appearances on May 16 and 18 for Triple-A Gwinnett and threw 32 pitches in each outing. Simmons threw 11 pitches in an appearance with Rome on Saturday.
“His secondary pitches were good when I saw him it was just (a matter of) the command of the fastball,” said Braves interim manager Brian Snitker, who was with the G-Braves when Simmons pitched for them last week. “As far as his health and velocity and all of that, it is right where it needs to be.”
Simmons, 25, was impressive as a rookie for the Braves in 2014. In 26 appearances he posted a 2.91 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 11 walks in 21 2/3 innings. His fastball that averaged more than 95 miles per hour, according to FanGraphs data.
The Braves used Simmons in a late-inning role for most of 2014 and he’d be a candidate to do the same out of their bullpen now.
“That would be like making a nice trade when you get him back because of what he was doing before he got hurt,” Snitker said. “I’m anxious to see what he’s got.”
