Braves outfielder Ender Inciarte became eligible for reinstatement from the injured list Saturday, but it sounds as if he will be sidelined a while longer.
Inciarte, placed on the 10-day IL on May 15 with a lower back strain, hasn’t resumed baseball activities, Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
“He hasn’t thrown or hit yet,” Snitker said Saturday. “(His back) is still barking a little bit and giving him some problems. I think it’s getting better, but not to the point of where they have him ready to hit off the tee or anything like that. … He’s doing the daily rehabs and taking it day by day.
“I think once he starts running around and maybe throwing a little bit we’ll get a better idea. Until he does that, I don’t think we know definitively what the timeline is.”
When Inciarte went on the injured list, Ronald Acuna moved from left field to center, and rookie Austin Riley took over in left. In his first 10 major-league games entering Saturday night, Riley had a .350 batting average (14-for-40) with a 1.131 OPS, five home runs and 12 RBIs. Whatever roster move the Braves make when Inciarte is ready to play, Riley’s bat obviously seems entrenched in the lineup.
