Braves reliever Jordan Walden said his shoulder felt “pretty good” after he played catch Monday for the first time since going on the disabled list with inflammation.
Walden is targeting a return when he’s eligible to come off the disabled list Monday in Toronto, but he won’t know for sure until he sees how his shoulder responds when he gets back off a mound.
“That’s what we’re shooting for, but it’s got to be feeling good,” Walden said. “…I just need to make sure I’m fully healthy when I come back because we already have great guys down there still. I just want to be part of it down there. I want to be able to help out Craig (Kimbrel) a little bit.”
Walden is the one of the three setup men the Braves were projected to have pitching in front of closer Kimbrel this season on the DL. He said his shoulder has bothered him for a while but it got to the point in San Francisco on May 11 where he needed to shut it down.
Walden, who is 1-1 with a 4.85 ERA in 14 appearances, allowed five runs in 1 1/3 innings over his past three appearances.
He said his shoulder felt a lot better when he threw from 60 feet on Monday. He was planning to back it up to 90 feet Tuesday and possibly throw a bullpen session. The Braves would like to get Walden in some minor league rehabilitation games before activating him.
