Brian McCann returned to the Braves lineup Monday after taking two days off to rest a right knee before it became the problem it was for him last season.
“Last year I kept playing and it turned into something worse,” McCann said. “It was hard to get in my squat and get my glove where I needed it to be to frame pitches and to block.”
McCann said his knee started bothering him last week in Washington, where he said the infield is especially hard behind home plate.
“(Catcher Wilson) Ramos wears rubbers spikes there,” McCann said. “I don’t know many catchers that ever wear rubber spikes…It’s like the (surface) ice hockey players walk on with their skates. It’s like digging your cleats into that, so when you twist and you go down to block, there’s no give.”
McCann caught Brandon Beachy on Friday night but then decided resting his knee the next two games would be the smart thing to do. He said it felt fine by Monday.
Justin Upton was also back in the Braves lineup Monday after leaving Sunday’s game with a hamstring cramp. Upton missed two games before the All-Star break because of cramping in his calf muscle.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Upton is still adjusting to playing in the Atlanta heat and humidity, after six years of playing indoors at Chase Field in Arizona.
“Here with the heat, people tell you to drink water and you think you’re drinking water,” Gonzalez said. “It’s almost impossible to drink enough water, if you’re a sweater. So we’ve got to figure something out to get him not to cramp up like that.”
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