ST. LOUIS – Braves reliever A.J. Minter has had his rehab assignment transferred from High-A Rome to Gwinnett, and is scheduled to pitch for the Triple-A Stripers Tuesday when they host Memphis at Coolray Field.
The left-hander has been out since May 30 with a left hip impingement. He began his rehab assignment over the weekend with an inning of work in High-A Rome. Minter allowed an unearned run on one hit while striking out three batters.
If Tuesday in Gwinnett goes well, could Minter be activated soon after that?
“Yeah, I mean, we’ll just see how he feels the day (after),” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “It’s always that. They make an appearance, they do that, we’ll see how it is the day after.”
Minter recently told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the hip impingement restricted him from using his legs well. But he added that he’s gotten the impingement cleaned up and feels like he’s learning to use his legs properly again.
Minter had a 2.95 ERA in 21 1/3 innings across 25 appearances before hitting the injured list. He recently said he doesn’t know when the injury began, which implies that he pitched through it.
He posted the numbers above.
Now that he’s fully healthy, he might be even better upon his return.
“I think in the long run, it’s something that psychologically, and if he feels good like that, I think probably he will be more effective,” Snitker said. “He’s done a great job, been one of the best left-handed relievers in the game here for a few years. I’m glad to hear that he’s not feeling anything, because obviously it was bothering him prior to going on the (injured list), so hopefully we got that taken care of and it’ll be something that when he gets back, he’s back to being his old self for the rest of the year and not have any problems with it.”
Ian Anderson’s next step
On Monday, Ian Anderson pitched for the Florida Complex League Braves for the second time.
He pitched three innings. He allowed a run on three hits. He struck out three batters. He hit one batter.
“Everything went really well,” Snitker said.
Anderson is expected to pitch for one of the Braves’ affiliates on Sunday. The team hasn’t yet announced where he’ll throw.
On Sunday, Gwinnett, Low-A Augusta and Double-A Mississippi are at home. High-A Rome is on the road in Winston-Salem.
In his first appearance for the FCL Braves, which came on June 18, Anderson hurled two hitless innings. He faced six batters and struck out four of them. Anderson’s four-seam fastball registered at 92-95 mph throughout the outing.
Through two appearances, Anderson’s progression seems to be going well.
“Reports are good, he feels good, all the numbers are good,” Snitker said.
About the Author
