PITTSBURGH – Braves reliever Shae Simmons has recurring soreness in his pitching shoulder and was scratched from a scheduled injury-rehab appearance Wednesday.
The rookie right-hander had been scheduled to start and pitch one inning for Triple-A Gwinnett in what would have been the third appearance of a rehab assignment. Simmons, who has been on the 15-day disabled list for just over three weeks, gave up four runs, two hits and two walks without recording an out Monday for Gwinnett.
“He came in today sore from the other night, so they shut him down,” Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Wednesday. “I think we’ll shut him down, let that thing calm down a little bit. I’m sure he’ll see the doctor somewhere.”
Simmons was placed on the DL on July 29, retroactive to July 27. At the time he said there’d been some stiffness in the back of his pitching shoulder for several weeks, but he hadn’t mentioned it to team official because he thought it was insignificant and that he could pitch through it.
After being brought up directly from Double-A to the majors on May 31, Simmons excelled in his first 20 appearances, posting a 0.96 ERA and .172 opponents’ average through July 11, with 19 strikeouts and six walks in 18 2/3 innings.
In hid last six appearances before landing on the DL he was 0-2 with a 15.00 ERA and .333 opponents’ average, with four strikeouts and five walks in three innings and his first homer allowed in more than 120 innings of pro ball.
