Braves left fielder Matt Kemp’s slump at the plate coincides with a left hamstring strain that has forced him to sit out three games over the past three weeks. Manager Brian Snitker said that Kemp hasn’t complained about the hamstring and seems to be dealing with it well.
“I think it’s maybe just a little funk offensively more than anything,” Snitker said. “He closed on that mis-hit ball (Tuesday) night and looked OK. He’s guarding it. I think he’s managing it and is not going to (push it) until he has to, just to play his way through it.”
Kemp sat out a game June 16 because of soreness in the hamstring, pinch hit during a game June 17 and then started the next five before sitting out two games last weekend. In 14 games since June 16, Kemp was hitting .188 (9-for-48) with two doubles, a home run and five walks.
Kemp has said the hamstring is a “tricky” injury and that he’s been trying to figure out a way to allow it to get better while still playing every day. Kemp was the designated hitter for three games at Oakland last weekend.
The Braves placed Kemp on the 10-day disabled list in April because of a right hamstring strain, and he also had multiple DL stints during the 2012 and 2013 seasons because of issues with both hamstrings.
