The Braves announced several positive injury updates ahead of yesterday’s matchup with the Mets. Even when the team loses, they still find a way to win in the long run.
Kyle Wright‘s rehab start is scheduled to begin in Rome on Thursday. Jesse Chavez threw a live bullpen and could join Wright on the farm very soon, and Ozzie Albies is also progressing back well from the soft tissue injury that landed him on the IL. Beyond that, the Braves are confident Dylan Lee will return this season and possibly even Nick Anderson as well.
So, when could we realistically see each of these Braves players back on the diamond with the major-league club?
Ozzie Albies — August 25th
It was reported yesterday that Albies likely won’t need a rehab assignment prior to returning from his hamstring injury. The Braves put him on the IL as a precaution, a wise decision with a 10+ game lead in the division. But if the All-Star second baseman were eligible to return today, I believe he would be in the starting lineup. Albies can come back as early as Friday in San Francisco, and I expect him to be playing.
Dylan Lee — Early September
Lee is another guy where, if the postseason were to begin tomorrow, he’d probably already be on the roster. He’s already made six appearances with Gwinnett on his rehab assignment, but the results haven’t been great. He’s surrendered five earned runs over 6.1 innings. Given the Braves have a crowded bullpen, I expect them to keep letting Lee work in Gwinnett until he has to come up, which is in early September.
Jesse Chavez — mid-September
Chavez threw a live bullpen earlier this week. He’ll throw another one soon, and if all goes well, his rehab assignment will likely begin next week. That puts him on a path to return around mid-September.
Kyle Wright — mid/late September
This is the big one. Wright is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment in Rome, and we’ll know a lot more after that. If he’s following a similar path to Fried, somewhere in the second half of September is the absolute earliest he will return to the Braves, but I’m interested to see if the Braves will be a bit more aggressive with Wright, considering there is much less time for him to get ready for the postseason. I do think it’s important to note that the Braves likely wouldn’t even be bringing Wright back if they didn’t think he was 100% healthy and could potentially contribute in the playoffs. It wouldn’t make sense for a young arm that is in the team’s plans for several years.
Nick Anderson — mid/late September
This one is the most difficult to judge because we haven’t received a ton of updates on Anderson. We do know he is making progress and hopes to return this season. The earliest he can return is after the first week in September. We’ll see when he begins his rehab assignment, but a mid-September return is possible.
—
Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
You must log in to post a comment.