PHILADELPHIA – Braves center fielder Ender Inciarte was out of the lineup again Monday afternoon for a series opener against the Phillies, the third consecutive start he missed since straining his groin.
Inciarte was injured while running to second base on a stolen base during Friday’s game against the Marlins. He left that game and had hoped to be back in the lineup by Sunday, but Braves manager Brian Snitker said they would err on the side of caution and give him a little more time.
Inciarte told Snitker he felt better Sunday, but the Braves wanted to rest him one more day, particularly given the hectic schedule of the past three days with the Braves playing three games in three different places: Saturday in Atlanta, Sunday at Fort Bragg, N.C., and Monday at Philadelphia.
Snitker also kept in mind a rule of thumb that legendary former Braves manager Bobby Cox used with injuries.
“I just always remember when I was here before (as third-base coach), Bobby was always like, you know what, when they get (healthy) give them another day,” Snitker said before Monday’s game. “That never hurts, especially with (injuries to) legs at a position where legs are everything.
“I haven’t talked to the training staff to see if he might be available to pinch-hit today. Ideal thing, you’d probably like to stay away from him altogether, then with a night game (Tuesday) he’ll get normal preparation and hopefully be off and running.”
