MIAMI — Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson left the team and returned to Atlanta to have his sore shoulder examined Tuesday, a move manager Fredi Gonzalez characterized as precautionary.
“They’ll do the whole workup on him and see what’s there, see if there’s a problem,” Gonzalez said. “No matter how the evaluation goes, we’re going to go ahead and bump him back.”
Hanson, who was scheduled to start Friday against the Cubs, is now penciled in to start Tuesday against San Francisco, pending the outcome of the exam. Mike Minor will move up a day to start Friday and be on regular rest because of Thursday’s off-day.
Hanson allowed seven runs in 3 1/3 innings Saturday at New York and slipped to 1-3 with an 8.10 ERA in five starts since the All-Star break, after going 10-4 with a 2.44 ERA before the break.
After Saturday’s game, he declined to discuss with reporters whether he was having shoulder problems. He had a 15-day stint on the disabled list in June for rotator-cuff tendinitis.
Hanson discussed the situation with Gonzalez, pitching coach Roger McDowell and team trainers.
“He seems OK,” Gonzalez said. “Not real concerned, but just doesn’t feel right.”
Gonzalez said the Braves plan to start Derek Lowe on Saturday, Brandon Beachy on Sunday and Tim Hudson on Monday, then Hanson followed Wednesday by Jair Jurrjens.
Jurrjens is on the DL with a strained knee, and Wednesday is the first day he could be activated.
If Hanson requires a stint on the DL, the Braves would presumably recall Julio Teheran or another pitcher from Triple-A.
Heyward benched again
For the fifth time in eight games, hot-hitting rookie Jose Constanza was in the lineup in right field instead of Jason Heyward on Tuesday. Heyward said he understood.
“We need to win,” said Heyward, who turned 22 on Tuesday. “We need the best team possible on the field. We’re 8 1/2 games back or something like that, and I’m not sure how many we’re up in the wild card, but we need to win as many games as possible. [Gonzalez] has been patient with me, as has everybody.”
Heyward was hitting .222 with 12 homers, 30 RBIs and a .317 on-base percentage in 88 games before Tuesday. Constanza had a .421 average with three extra-base hits, five RBIs and a .436 OBP in 10 games since arriving from Triple-A on July 29.
Heyward homered Sunday at New York and was 8-for-43 (.186) in his past 13 games before Tuesday. Since returning June 15 from a 3 1/2-week stint on the disabled list for a sore shoulder, he had a .229 average with five homers, 16 RBIs and a .318 OBP in 43 games.
He said neither the shoulder nor any other health issue was a factor in his current performance.
Heyward said not being in the lineup every day had allowed him to work more in the batting cage. He has tried to simplify his swing and approach.
He spent two hours working with Chipper Jones and hitting coach Larry Parrish in the batting cage last weekend at New York.
“Now that I have a little bit more free time, I’m able to clear my head some more and get rest,” Heyward said. “It’s positive. Everybody sees I’m the same guy in the clubhouse. It’s not about me. I’m here for the long run, and hopefully I can get back to where I’m producing on a daily basis.”
Constanza can play all three outfield positions, and has started five games in right field and three in left on the trip. He had an eight-game hitting streak before Tuesday.
McCann won’t return Friday
Brian McCann is eligible to return from the disabled list Friday, but the All-Star catcher isn’t likely to be activated until at least a couple more days after that.
Gonzalez doesn’t want to McCann to risk re-injuring his strained oblique muscle by trying to make it back too quickly. He said McCann could start a minor-league rehab assignment Friday and possibly come off the DL Sunday or Monday.
McCann said Monday, after taking batting practice for first time since his July 26 injury, that he hoped to begin a rehab assignment as soon as Wednesday and possibly return to the lineup Friday. That ambitious plan was eliminated Tuesday by Gonzalez.
With the manager watching, McCann did some catching drills Tuesday at Sun Life Stadium, including blocking balls. It was the first time he did any of that since injuring the muscle in his left side while trying to throw out a Pirates base runner on July 26.
