The Braves’ pitching has not been the problem since the trade deadline, but every club could use another All-Star reliever in the building, and Atlanta’s hoping one will return before the end of the season.

Robert Suarez began his throwing program over a month ago. The Braves have taken things very cautiously with him, but he’s now firing bullpens pain-free. The next step is to face live batting practice before beginning a rehab assignment.

Let’s say Suarez threw a couple of sessions to live hitters this week. That would put him on track to begin a rehab assignment with just two weeks remaining in the regular season. That’s still enough time for him to return during the regular season and get his feet wet against major-league hitting before the temperature heats up exponentially during the postseason.

Because he’s a reliever, and he’s already throwing bullpen sessions, his rehab assignment really shouldn’t be a lengthy one. I would actually argue he doesn’t even need one.

Regardless, the more pressing questions surround how Robert Suarez might look after such a lengthy layoff. He hasn’t pitched since mid-June and was shut down completely for about two months. Before the injury, he was arguably the most dominant reliever in all of baseball, pitching to a 0.56 ERA over 31 appearances. If the Braves are getting that guy back, their bullpen is going to be a weapon that Walt Weiss can wield early and often throughout a playoff series.

But expecting Suarez to jump back in like nothing happened might be wishful thinking.

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(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire)