Robert Suarez is on track for a Minor League rehab appearance with Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday, and that could be the first step toward getting the Braves’ elite setup man ready for October.
If Suarez takes the mound in Gwinnett’s season finale, it would be his first game action since June 19. The two-time All-Star has been sidelined for the past three months with right elbow inflammation, and Atlanta still hasn’t mapped out exactly what comes next.
Braves manager Walt Weiss wouldn’t say whether Suarez will get a couple of bullpen appearances next week, which would be the final chance for him to pitch in the regular season.
“We’re just reevaluating him every day, but things have gone well,” Weiss said. “He’s progressed well throughout this rehab.
So, I don’t anticipate anything. We just never know.
It would be nice to see him in a big league game, but I’m not sure. I’m not sure if that’s going to happen.”
With the Braves still not having clinched the National League East entering Friday’s series opener in Houston, the club may be hesitant to put Suarez into meaningful games during the season’s final week. Another possibility is sending him to the team’s Spring Training complex next week to face live hitters.
Weiss didn’t sound eager about that route, either, but he also left open the possibility that Suarez’s first time facing big league hitters in three months could come in the postseason.
“There's a chance,” Weiss said. “I don't know.
As we sit here today, I don't know exactly how that's going to unfold. I think all the options are possible.”
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