Dansby Swanson was packing for a trip to the minors late Wednesday, and he couldn’t have been happier to be going.
The Braves shortstop is headed to low Single-A Rome to begin what’s expected to be a brief injury-rehabilitation assignment before he’s activated from the disabled list and rejoins the big-league team.
“I’m just so happy to be out there doing something again -- I’m about ready to jump off a building,” said Swanson, who hasn’t played since leaving a May 2 game at New York with left-wrist inflammation that landed him on the 10-day DL.
After he was not permitted to hit or catch for 10 days, Swanson got the clearance to ramp things up and has hit for four consecutive days. He hit balls off a tee first and worked up to batting practice on the field with his teammates Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I did everything again today. It was good,” Swanson said as he and a clubhouse attendant packed his bats and gear into duffel bags following the Braves’ 4-1 win against the Cubs on Wednesday night, which Swanson watched in uniform from the dugout at SunTrust Park.
The rehab assignment could be as short as one game if Swanson and the Braves feel like he’s ready and has his timing back and no problems with the wrist. He could play one or two rehab games and rejoin the Braves before their current homestand ends Sunday.
He’s going to Rome because Triple-A Gwinnett is on the road this week.
“Kind of just play it by ear after” Thursday’s game, he said. “I won’t say it’s set in stone. We’re trying to be smart. Last thing we want to do is be silly and rush back too soon. I’ve done this much we might as well we do everything right.”
Swanson showed signs of the wrist problem while going 8-for-43 (.186) with no extra-base hits, one RBI, 16 strikeouts and a .441 OPS in his last 11 games, though he never used it as an excuse and didn’t mention the pain publicly until after he came out of the game at New York.
That slump came after he got off to an impressive and encouraging start to the season, batting .352 (25-for-71) with 11 extra-base hits, 12 RBIs, 16 strikeouts and a .964 OPS in his first 17 games.
