LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- So much for waiting and wondering how his surgically repaired knee would react. Chipper Jones had two balls hit his way in the first inning Thursday afternoon in his first game back at third base in seven months.
Granted it was two chances in four innings of a spring-training game, but Jones came away “really happy” after handling a pop-up and a hard ground ball up the line like someone who has played there for the better part of 16 seasons.
Depending on how his knee responds, Jones could be back at third as soon as Friday’s game against Toronto, and at the very least at designated hitter.
“Everybody can stop wondering what it’s going to be like for me to play third now,” Jones said with a grin.
Jones had planned to play his fourth game at DH on Thursday and make his return to third base Friday. But Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez thought he was ready.
That was fine by Jones, who was eager to take the last step in a list of them he has been checking off since he started swinging a bat in early January.
“It was kind of the last hurdle,” Jones said. “Just concentrate on getting my reps in the rest of the spring and keep the fluid out of my knee and let’s go.”
He was happy to see balls coming his way early and figured he had a good shot with sinkerballer Jair Jurrjens on the mound and a stiff wind blowing out to right field.
“If I’m going to make a clown of myself, let’s go ahead and get it over with,” he joked.
The second batter, Tigers second baseman Will Rhymes, popped up high toward third base. A swift breeze was more of an issue than Jones’ knee, but he adjusted and made the catch.
The next batter was Magglio Ordonez, who gave Jones a bigger test with a sharp ground ball down the line, at least reminiscent of the one hit by the Astros’ Hunter Pence on the play in which Jones was injured Aug. 10.
“I didn’t have near as much momentum going toward foul-ball territory as I did when I got hurt,” Jones said. “But it wouldn’t have mattered at that point. I’d have probably just tried to plant as much as I could and get off whatever kind of throw that I could. I’m not going to go airborne to do that again.”
At least not in a spring-training game, Jones has said, but he might change his philosophy as the stakes get higher.
As it was, he took his time, fielded the ball cleanly and fired a long throw to first for the out. It was a routine play for a guy who has started 1,757 games at third base.
“It wasn’t as foreign as I thought it would be,” Jones said. “I actually felt quite comfortable, and I think that was mostly because of my preparation.”
Jones credited Gonzalez’s daily emphasis on defense, something Jones said has been different from previous camps under Bobby Cox.
“It’s been 20 intense minutes every single day,” Jones said. “It’s not just standing out there and going through the motions, it’s one right after the other. You’ve got two or three guys fielding with you, and it’s just rapid fire. And I think that’s helped. The game didn’t seem as fast as it has in years past even though I haven’t played in seven months, so I’m really happy.”
Jones also is pleased with how he has felt at the plate. He went 1-for-2 on Thursday. He’s 3-for-10 for the spring -- with three singles -- but he said he has centered the ball on the bat in all but maybe one at-bat.
“I’ve barreled pretty much everything,” Jones said. “Ground balls to first and second, sooner or later if you keep barreling them, you’re going to start hitting line drives and driving the ball to the outfield.”
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