Andrelton Simmons strained an oblique muscle in his left side before he even got to spring training, but this time the Braves shortstop thought better than to keep quiet and try to play through it.
He did limited work Thursday and was kept out of most of the Braves’ first full-squad workout. Simmons will only take ground balls, stretch and run until the oblique feels better, and he said it might be only a few days before he’s taking part in full activities.
“We’ll see how it feels tomorrow,” the two-time Gold Glove winner said. “If it feels better we’ll start throwing and swinging and keep going, depending on how it feels. But it shouldn’t be that long. I don’t know how long, but it shouldn’t be that long.”
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, “I guarantee you if it happened two years ago, he wouldn’t have told us.”
Simmons said he first felt soreness after a recent hitting session.
“I got it over a week ago, two weeks ago maybe,” he said. “It was so minor I tried to (keep working out) on it. Didn’t rest it enough and aggravated it, then rested it a day or two and went back on it, and it just didn’t go away. So I finally just decided to come here and take it easy and not aggravate it and let it heal so I can be 100 percent.
“It feels pretty good right now. Just being cautious. It’s spring training. First day. So, being cautious and trying to get it 100 percent.”
Gonzalez said he and a team trainer met with Simmons on Thursday morning to stress to him the importance of being forthcoming about injuries and being smart about getting treatment and rest when he’s hurt, rather than trying to continue playing.
“Two years ago, maybe even last year, he wouldn’t tell anybody anything, and next thing you know it’s a big deal,” Gonzalez said. “Good for him that he’s letting us know that kind of stuff. Maturing, growing up, letting little things stay little.”
Simmons and Braves trainers believe it’s only a minor strain, but they want to make sure he doesn’t worsen it by doing too much, especially since there are still more than six weeks before the regular season.
Three years ago at spring training, Simmons was a top prospect trying to make the team when he strained an oblique midway through camp. He had gotten off to a great start in Grapefruit League play that year and believed he had a chance to make the opening-day roster, so he tried to keep playing through the injury. But his performance slipped, and the injury worsened as he kept playing.
Since arriving in the major leagues two months into that 2012 season, Simmons has been the best defensive shortstop in baseball. But it’s taken him longer to learn the difference between playing through discomfort and being injured and needing rest.
“I’m trying to learn,” he said. “The past couple of years I’ve had trouble staying in the training room and just taking my rest, because I want to be out there like everybody else does. I like being out there, taking ground balls and diving, throwing, hitting. I’m trying to learn to be patient.”
