The Gwinnett Braves were rained out Saturday night, washing out what was originally scheduled to be the last time Brian McCann caught in his minor league rehabilitation assignment. Now he’ll catch one final game on Sunday instead.
McCann, originally scheduled to DH on Sunday, will catch the first game of Gwinnett’s makeup doubleheader, beginning at 12:30 p.m., and then after the first game, he’s expected to head down to join the Braves at Turner Field as they prepare to leave Sunday evening for Cincinnati.
Barring something unforeseen, he is on track to be activated Monday, or Tuesday if he needs an extra day, against the Reds to make his return from shoulder surgery.
McCann passed his biggest test earlier in the week when he caught back-to-back games Wednesday in Single-A Rome and Thursday in Triple-A Gwinnett. In those two games, he showed the Braves he’s ready to go behind the plate. Then Friday night in Gwinnett he went 2-for-4 with a home run, hitting his second home run in three games.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez saw McCann catch the first three innings for Gwinnett Thursday night on TV and liked what he saw, as did his predecessor and now consultant Bobby Cox, who watched McCann catch in Rome on Wednesday.
“(Cox) said he looks great,” Gonzalez said. “He told me if something happened to one of our catchers he could cut the rehab short and come up. He felt that good.”
