MIAMI – A day after Nick Markakis was excused from a game in New York to take care of what manager Brian Snitker described only as “a personal thing,” the veteran right field was back in the lineup Thursday for the opener of the Braves’ season-ending series at Marlins Park.
Snitker said Wednesday that he hoped to have Markakis back for the weekend, indicating he might miss two or three games. But he was back after a one-day absence, flying from his home near Baltimore to rejoin the team in Miami.
“We left the ball in his court (as to how long he’d be away),” Snitker said. “Does it surprise me? No. If everything’s taken care of and he felt good enough to leave, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s back here ready to go.”
Markakis has played in all but two of the Braves’ 159 games this season. The only other Brave to play in as many as 145 games was Ender Inciarte, who played his 155th game Thursday.
