Most of the Braves’ well-chronicled aches and pains this spring are the result of the usual stresses on bone and sinew that come with physical labor.
A.J. Minter, it can now be told, fell victim to another hazard that is particularly plentiful in the Orlando area: The automobile.
When Minter left Friday’s spring game after facing but one hitter, alerted by some soreness in his left shoulder, it seemed to be another in a growing number of Braves pitchers brought down by the act of pitching. But, speaking Saturday morning at the Braves camp (the team had a road game in Lakeland against Detroit) Minter explained that his troubles began with a Wednesday evening fender-bender car accident.
Minter was driving around 6 p.m. Wednesday when, he said, he ran into the car in front of him. No one suffered any obvious injury, Minter said, and he was prepared to make his first appearance of the spring the next day. The Braves decided to move him back to Friday.
He picks it up from there: “Friday I woke up, played catch, everything felt fine. I wanted to get in the game.
“Warming up, I started to get a little stiff when I started to let it loose. I got in the game, I realized I probably shouldn’t be out here. A little stiff, nothing serious. I need a couple more days of rest.”
He was feeling soreness where the seat belt went across his left shoulder and neck. “It’s weird. I woke up (Thursday) and wasn’t sore, but I guess, in talking to everyone, it’s normal to feel soreness two days after the car accident.”
Minter, who had 15 saves and a 3.23 ERA last season for the Braves, is being counted upon for back-of-the-bullpen duty again this season. Given the litany of shoulder and elbow aches currently afflicting the staff, having a clear cause in this case was almost a relief. Minter didn’t seem to think the mishap was going to drastically alter any plans.
“It’s day by day, see how I feel,” he said. “Here for a couple days, I’ll play catch and go from there. If the season started tomorrow, I felt like I’d be ready now – I’m happy with my release point and my velocity was there. Luckily the situation wasn’t any worse, but at the same time I’m happy with where I’m at. Just take a couple more days, let the soreness go away and I’ll be ready to go.
“Give me two or three outings at the end of spring, I’ll be ready to go.”
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