Seems like each time Jordan Schafer gets in a groove and starts to show all he can do for a lineup, the Braves outfielder seems gets hurt.
Schafer was a late scratch from the lineup for Wednesday afternoon’s game against the Mets due to a quadriceps contusion after fouling a ball off his left thigh as a pinch-hitter Tuesday. The speedster had been out of the lineup Tuesday after leaving Monday’s game with back spasms following a seventh-inning single.
Schafer had four hits and three stolen bases in Monday’s win against the Mets, the first Braves player to steal three bases in a game since Willie Harris in 2007. His 20 stolen bases accounted for 38 percent of the Braves’ team total before Wednesday, and Schafer had collected 11steals in just 19 games since returning from five weeks on the disabled list.
The recently resurgent B.J. Upton — who finally got his batting average to .200 on Tuesday — replaced Schafer in center field and the leadoff spot Wednesday.
The quad contusion wasn’t considered serious, but Schafer, 27, couldn’t run comfortable when he tested it Wednesday morning. He could be ready to play after the Braves’ off day Thursday. They start a seven-game trip Friday in Philadelphia, with a four-game series at Miami next week.
Schafer’s DL stint that kept him out most of August was for a stress fracture near his right ankle, from another ball the left-handed hitter fouled off his body. Before going on the DL, he hit .312 with a .399 on-base percentage in 125 at-bats over 61 games, and had proven to be a much-needed potent leadoff hitter for the Braves against right-handed pitching.
He had gone 12-for-33 (.364) with seven RBIs in his last 12 games before being sidelined by the stress fracture.
With Schafer on the DL, Jason Heyward moved to the leadoff spot and thrived. But Heyward has been out since getting his jaw broken when hit by a pitch Aug. 21, and probably won’t be back before late September.
After Schafer returned from the DL, he went 3-for-34 with no extra-base hits and 12 strikeouts in his first 10 games while shaking off the rust. Then he had three multi-hit games in an eight-game stretch while going 11-for-34 (.324) with seven stolen bases before his back spasms Monday.
Schafer was the Braves’ opening-day center fielder as a 22-year-old rookie in 2009. He homered in his debut and went 8-for-19 with two doubles and two homers in his first five games, but broke his wrist on a swing in the fourth game and was slowed for much of two seasons before — and after — eventually having surgery.
He was sent to Houston in the July 2011 trade-deadline deal for Michael Bourn, and last season with the Astros he excelled during a couple of stretches, batting .276 with eight steals and a .351 OBP in 23 games in April, and .316 during a 15-game stretch in May. But Schafer hit just .156 (24-for-154) with two homers and 55 strikeouts in 63 games after May 30, and spent time on the disabled list with a separated shoulder.
The Astros waived him after the season, the Braves claimed him in hopes he could provide outfield depth. Schafer has exceeded expectations this season, backing up all three outfield positions, playing his usual strong defense in center field, and demonstrating more maturity while working hard to take advantage of the second chance with Atlanta in hopes of getting a shot at another starting job with the Braves or another team.
Now if he could just find a way to avoid getting hurt every time he has things going in the right direction.
