Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez plans to start Evan Gattis at catcher on Thursday against the Pirates after a 16-game absence from the lineup because of illness.
Gattis will be matched up with spot starter David Hale, who is expected to throw about 75 pitches as he takes Mike Minor’s turn in the rotation. Gonzalez said he plans to replace Gattis at the same time as Hale.
“My biggest concern is I don’t want to hurt Gattis,” Gonzalez said. “He hasn’t caught (since Sept. 7). I don’t want to run him in there for nine innings. If you match him in with (a regular starter) all of a sudden in the fifth or the sixth you’ve got to get him out of the game. All of a sudden the pitcher has to get a different catcher and the rhythm changes a little bit.”
Gonzalez said he may also put Gattis in the lineup for a game or two during the season-ending series at Philadelphia this weekend. Christian Bethancourt has been the regular catcher with Gattis out.
Gattis last caught on Sept. 7 at Miami, when he started feeling ill and was diagnosed with strep throat and later a kidney stone. Gattis is 0-for-3 as a pinch hitter in three games since Saturday.
For the season, Gattis is batting .268 (97-for-362) with 22 home runs. He leads Braves regulars with a .503 slugging percentage.
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