Braves left fielder Matt Kemp returned to the lineup on Sunday after missing two games because of a sore left hamstring. Kemp initially wasn’t in the lineup announced by the Braves but was added later in place of Danny Santana.
Kemp left Thursday’s game because of what the Braves said was tightness in his left hamstring. Kemp sat out a game on June 16 because of soreness in the same hamstring. He pinch hit during a game on June 17 and started the next five before the latest flare up.
“It’s not serious; it’s just something that’s irritating,” Kemp said Saturday. “I keep irritating it. Once you do your hamstring at some point, it can get irritated. I’m just trying to figure out a way to make it heal and be able to play at the same time.”
The Braves placed Kemp on the 10-day disabled list in April because of a right hamstring strain. He also had several DL stints because of issues with both hamstrings while playing for the Dodgers during the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Entering Sunday Kemp was hitting .320 with a .362 on-base percentage and .549 slugging percentage over 61 games.
