Evan Gattis rejoined the injury-depleted Braves sooner than expected, coming off the disabled list Sunday to fill in for first baseman Freddie Freeman in the final game before the All-Star break.
On the DL since June 23 for a strained oblique, Gattis played two rehab games with Triple-A Gwinnett. He had been scheduled to play another game with Gwinnett and possibly one or two games during the All-Star break with lower-level minor league affiliates, then come off the DL after the break.
But after Freeman became the fourth Braves lineup regular injured in a 48-hour span, Gattis was summoned from North Carolina, during a series against Durham. Center fielder B.J. Upton went on the 15-day DL with a strained right adductor muscle near the groin to open a spot for Gattis.
“Definitely excited to be back,” said Gattis, who caught a 7:15 a.m. flight from Raleigh and was in the lineup for Sunday’s 1:35 p.m. game against the Reds. “I’m ready to play.”
He went 0-for-4 Sunday, lining out twice and flying out twice. Gattis said: “I hit a couple of balls hard, and that felt good.”
The entire outfield is injured. Both Uptons, B.J. and Justin (calf), got hurt in Friday’s game, and Jason Heyward strained a hamstring Thursday.
Gattis had a .252 average with 14 homers, 37 RBIs and a team-best .577 slugging percentage in 53 games (163 at-bats) before straining his right side.
Despite missing 24 games, the catcher/left fielder — and emergency first baseman — still led major league rookies in homers and RBIs. He also had twice as many pinch-hit homers (four) as any other major leaguer. He’s 6-for-8 with a majors-leading 11 RBIs as a pinch-hitter.
Gattis went 1-for-8 for Gwinnett, with a double in his final at-bat Saturday.
“A little rusty at first,” he said. “Felt good to square up a ball last night. An earlier at-bat I squared up one foul, hit the ball hard. I was disappointed when I struck out. Wasn’t because of my oblique or anything; I was just disappointed to strike out. That tells me I’m ready, and ready to compete.”
Gattis wasn’t permitted to do any baseball activities for a couple of weeks and only started hitting off a tee last week.
B.J. to DL: After Freddie Freeman hurt his thumb Saturday, B.J. Upton knew there was a chance that one of the Braves' injured outfielders would be placed on the disabled list, and that he was probably the most likely one of the three.
When he saw Gattis in the clubhouse Sunday morning, Upton knew a move was imminent.
“Something gonna happen,” he said. “White Bear’s back.”
That’s the English translation of El Oso Blanco, the nickname of Gattis.
Soon after Upton spoke with reporters, the Braves announced he’d been placed on the 15-day DL. The center fielder was hurt Friday when his knee planted in the turf as he tried to make a sliding catch.
Justin Upton left the same game after his calf tightened while running out a groundball, which the Braves believe was only a severe cramp and not a pulled muscle. Jason Heyward strained a hamstring in Thursday’s game.
Both Heyward and Justin Upton said Sunday they had progressed steadily and should be ready to play in the series against the Chicago White Sox that starts Friday.
“I’m pretty confident that I’ll be ready Friday,” Justin Upton said.
B.J. Upton said his injury would likely have sidelined him longer than his brother or Heyward, so he understood the DL move. The Braves also hope to have Freeman back for the White Sox series.
B.J.’s .177 average is the worst among major league qualifiers, and his .565 on-base-plus-slugging percentage was the second-lowest in the majors before Sunday. In 207 at-bats, he has eight homers and 102 strikeouts with 33 walks.
Rotation change: The Braves will switch the rotation turns of starting pitchers Julio Teheran and Kris Medlen coming out of the All-Star break, with Medlen moving to the fifth spot and Teheran to fourth. The Braves play to start Tim Hudson on Friday, followed by Paul Maholm, Mike Minor, and then Teheran and Medlen in the first two of a four-game series against the Mets.
