Braves reliever Jose Ramirez had a setback in his recovery from a strained shoulder and was to be examined in Atlanta to determine the cause and extent of the issue causing his problems.
He felt pain in his right shoulder 18 pitches into a live batting practice session Saturday at the team’s training camp in Florida, the first time he faced hitters since going on the 10-day disabled list April 18 with shoulder inflammation.
“He was going to see (Braves chief physical Gary) Lourie in Atlanta, so we’re waiting to hear on him,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said before Monday night’s series opener against the Padres. “They did a great job in not rushing him back, going through the proper (steps). He was feeling really good, and then throwing to hitters.”
Snitker said facing hitters the first time after an injury is a big step for pitchers, as they ramp up the adrenaline and effort compared with the restraint they usually apply to regular bullpen sessions without hitters involved.
“When somebody gets up there (to hit), even though it’s not a competitive arena, you put a little more into it, and it bit him a little bit,” Snitker said. “So we shut him down and brought him back to Atlanta and are having him looked at.”
Ramirez went on the DL with inflammation in his pitching shoulder after being charged with five hits, nine runs and five walks in just 1-1/3 innings over consecutive appearances April 14 and April 17. The first of those outings was the infamous game at Wrigley Field played in horrible conditions that included rain, strong winds and wind-chill readings below freezing.
Several players and managers from both teams said that game shouldn’t have been played in those conditions, the worst that either manager could ever recall being part of for a game. Some even remarked afterward that they felt fortunate that no one got hurt, or at least they hoped no one had – they said they wouldn’t know until the subsequent days how players recovered from the game.
Ramirez, 28, said his shoulder bothered him some since spring training, but worsened in the days just before he went on the DL.
He has a 17.05 ERA, 2.68 WHIP and .500 opponents’ OBP in seven games this season with more walks (eight) than strikeouts (seven) in 6 2/3 innings.
The hard-throwing Dominican made 101 appearances for the Braves during 2016-17 and posted a 3.33 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and .318 opponents’ OBP in that span with 89 strikeouts and 47 walks in 94-2/3 innings.
About the Author
