DENVER — Chipper Jones isn’t going back to Class-A ball as soon as planned.
The Braves’ All-Star third baseman was tentatively scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab assignment Friday at Class-A Rome, but needs more time to recover from July 9 arthroscopic knee surgery.
Jones, 38, took ground balls and batting practice the past few days with the Triple-A Gwinnett team and was set to serve as designated hitter for Rome on Friday and Saturday.
That was reassessed after he reported soreness from his workouts. It now seems less likely Jones would be ready to rejoin the Braves on Monday in their series opener against Pittsburgh at Turner Field.
That had been the plan, according to Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. But that was based on Jones getting two or three games in with Rome, including some time at third base.
It’s unclear if Jones will still play at Rome this weekend.
On Thursday, general manager Frank Wren did not give a timetable for Jones’ return or rehab-game schedule. “It is day to day based on each skill being tested and cleared by trainers,” Wren said in a text message.
Jones is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list Sunday.
Uggla rests calf
Now that he’s finally out of his slump and riding a 12-game hitting streak, the last thing Dan Uggla wants to do is miss games.
But after straining his left calf in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss against the Rockies, he knew it was best not to try to talk his way into the lineup Thursday. Gonzalez wanted to give him at least a day to rest, and Uggla agreed.
“I just don’t want to push it because it could get nasty,” said the second baseman, who wanted to avoid the risk of making it worse. “If it’s a gapper, it’d be no problem. Get to second and bring in a pinch-runner. But if I’ve got to go full-go on it, it’s not worth the risk of tearing it.”
He hoped to be back in the lineup for Friday’s series opener at Cincinnati, but said it might be Saturday or Sunday before he’s ready.
“It’s high up in the calf,” Gonzalez said. “It’s mild, but we want to keep it mild. So definitely not today, maybe [Friday]. If not, Saturday. You hate to run him out there and make mild become worse. So I don’t even know if I want to pinch-hit him, because that first step out of the box. ...”
Uggla extended his hitting streak Wednesday with a game-tying RBI single in the eighth inning, before the Rockies pulled out a 3-2 win on Carlos Gonzalez’s walk-off single in the ninth after a Martin Prado two-out error.
Uggla hurt his calf running to first on his fielder’s choice in the sixth, but played two more innings before being replaced by a pinch-runner.
Brooks Conrad replaced him at second base Thursday and hit a homer that started a four-run rally in the seventh inning for a 9-6 lead.
Schafer scare
When Jordan Schafer hurt himself sliding into second base in the eighth inning Wednesday and motioned to the bench, Gonzalez feared the worst.
When Schafer met Gonzalez and a team trainer before they could get halfway across the infield to check on him, the manager was even more worried.
It wasn’t as bad as it looked.
Schafer jammed his left middle finger, but nothing was broken and he stayed in the game. He was scratched from the lineup Thursday after the finger was too sore for him to swing the bat, but the center fielder came in for defense in the eighth inning.
For the last two innings, Nate McLouth moved from center field to left and Eric Hinske to the bench.
Schafer hoped to be in the lineup Friday. He had two hits and stole two bases Wednesday. He has 15 steals in his past 17 attempts.
