The Braves played the first-place Mets in Monday night’s series opener without right fielder Nick Markakis, who was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game with a sore trapezius muscle.
“We’re just going to give him a couple of days,” manager Fredi Gonzalez said. “Yesterday was the worst of it; today he says he started to feel a little better. So tomorrow he should be good to go.”
Michael Bourn started in place of Markakis Sunday and Monday, his first games in right field since 2007.
Gonzalez said the injury had nothing to do with the neck surgery that Markakis had Dec. 17 to repair a herniated disk.
“No, no, it’s just the trapezius muscle,” said Gonzalez, who didn’t know if it was the right or left trapezius that was sore. “We talked about it on Saturday night after the game. We gave him the day off yesterday and he feels a lot better. We’re going to give him another day off today, and hopefully that’ll take care of everything and he’ll be ready to go (Tuesday).”
The trapezius muscles are large muscles extending over the shoulders and back of the neck.
Markakis, 31, was prohibited by doctors from lifting weights, running or any other strenuous activities after the surgery until the beginning of spring training, when he was cleared to run and begin baseball activities. He spent most of spring training working out while the team was practicing and playing games, and it wasn’t a certainty until the final week of camp that he’d be ready to play opening day.
Although his power numbers are down this season – he and the Braves attribute that mostly large to not being able to do his offseason strength and conditioning — Markakis was tied for the third-most games played (146) in the National League before Monday, and was batting .298 with 40 extra-base hits (two homers) and a .371 OBP and .376 slugging percentage.
Markakis hit 141 homers in nine seasons with the Orioles through 2014, including at least 10 homers every season. This season, he has fewer homers than Marlins speedster Dee Gordon (three).
Markakis said last week that he would jump into his offseason workout regimen earlier this usual this fall.
“This year I’ll probably take off two weeks, three weeks at most,” he said last week. “Get going probably a month earlier than I usually do. It’s not typical, but I feel like I’m behind this year, so I need to get on the ball and get after it.”
Gonzalez thinks Markakis, who signed a four-year, $44 million contract in December, will improve his power numbers next year.
“I think the whole game will come back,” Gonzalez said. “I think you’ll see his arm strength even come back, I really do. Because what did he have, two weeks (of games) in spring training? And really, going into that it was nothing. He couldn’t do anything. So I expect a better player than he has shown here, which is still pretty darn good. He’s made some plays in the outfield that, for his age and having no spring training, you go, wow, that’s a pretty darn good play.”
Markakis had a .301 average and .406 slugging percentage in his past 65 games, including .317 (38-for-120) with 11 doubles, a .397 OBP and .408 slugging percentage in his past 29 games before Monday.
“I mean, this guy puts the ball in play,” Gonzalez said. “I think a full offseason where he can get his body back in shape. You also have to take into account, it’s a little different ballpark he’s playing in. But yeah, I think he’s a guy that can probably get to 10-12 home runs. This ballpark is about as fair for pitching as Camden Yards (favors hitting). But I really can’t complain. I think he’s had a terrific offensive year, and I think that a full year, an offseason getting himself back in baseball shape, I think you’ll see the power numbers increase.
“I think we’ll see a little different guy power-wise.”
Markakis knew after missing the entire offseason that he would face a new set of challenges in his first season with the Braves.
“The offseason (workout regimen) is very important for me,” he said last week. “It’s one of those things where, if you don’t have it, you know it’s going to be a tough year. It’s going to be a battle and it’s going to be a grind. I’ve done it before — not missed this much time in the offseason, but I have missed time in the offseason because of previous surgeries. And I was able to get a month or two of conditioning and weight training, and it was still tough. This is by far my toughest year physically. I’m happy where I’m at right now. I can’t complain. The biggest thing is I’m out there playing baseball.”
