The Braves and shortstop Andrelton Simmons hope that his injured right thumb is nothing more than a mild sprain, but they won't know for sure until an MRI exam Monday in Atlanta.
The two-time Gold Glove winner injured the thumb when he jammed it while making a diving-catch attempt in the seventh inning of the Braves’ 12-2 loss to the Phillies. X-rays taken after the game were negative, showing no broken bones, but an MRI exam is generally required to discern the degree of soft-tissue damage.
Asked how he felt Sunday morning, Simmons said, “Not great. But luckily the X-rays were negative, so it could have been worse. There’s still a little swelling, it’s still a little sore. So we’ve got to wait and see.”
He had the hand and thumb wrapped tightly in immobilizing tape Sunday.
As for a timetable for his return, “I have no idea,” Simmons said. “I’ve never hurt this before, so I don’t know how long. When the swelling goes down we’ll find out more, but no idea so far.”
He was asked later if he thought there was still a chance the MRI could reveal a more-significant injury.
“I only finished one year of college, I didn’t finish my doctor’s (degree),” Simmons said, smiling. “I have no idea.”
Rookie Daniel Castro replaced Simmons in Sunday’s lineup and could get most of the playing time while he’s out. Castro had only six at-bats in five games before Sunday.
Other than a trade of another lineup regular, about the last thing the slumping Braves – losers of six in a row and 16 of 20 before Sunday – need at this point is a significant injury to either their best defensive player, Simmons, or their best hitter, first baseman Freddie Freeman, who just returned from the disabled list a little over a week ago.
“Our medical people are calling (Simmons’ injury) a sprain, and there’s no timetable right now,” Gonzalez said a few hours before Sunday’s series finale, the end of a 10-game trip in which they’d won just one game so far.
Gonzalez hoped Simmons could return as soon as two or three days, but also acknowledged it might take a few days before the Braves determine if he needs a stint on the DL.
“Yeah, I think so,” Gonzalez said. “We’ll take our time. I’m sure by the time we get home, (Monday) he’ll get to see Dr. (Gary) Lourie, our hand specialist, and get a checkup. But right now we’re just letting him get some treatment up here.”
While they won’t know the severity of the injury until Simmons has an MRI, the Braves seemed confident it wasn’t a torn ligament or other season-ending injury, that belief stemming from tests performed on Simmons by Braves head athletic trainer Jeff Porter Saturday night and Sunday morning.
“Right now the strength is there, Bubba (Porter) told me this morning,” Gonzalez said. “But it’s sore.”
If the ligament were torn to any significant degree, it would be obvious from the series of strength tests Simmons was put through.
Simmons was hurt when he ran backand dove for Odubel Herrera’s single that landed in shallow left-center.
“He almost made that play, too,” Gonzalez said. “But he just landed on it. But you know what? It gives us an opportunity to watch for the next couple, two or three days – hopefully that’s all it is – to watch (Daniel) Castro a little bit at shortstop.”
Simmons finished the inning, then left the game between innings.
“I finished the inning. Kind of hoped the pain would go away,” he said. “It just stayed. After that, the swelling came in.”
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
