Robert Suárez is set to overcome one last hurdle before returning to the Atlanta Braves. Walt Weiss, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, told the media on Friday that the setup man would start his rehab assignment on Sunday.
The plan for him to pitch for Gwinnett. It would be his only game with the team, as Sunday is their season finale. Perhaps, he’ll be ready to return after that, but we’ll see what the Braves decide.
Suárez has been working his way back from forearm inflammation since late June. His last game was on June 19, but he has been on the injured list since June 26, backdated to June 23.
At the start of this month, he was moved to the 60-day injured list to clear a space on the 40-man roster. He’s still eligible to return any time with how long he’s been out. Someone would have to be removed from the 40-man when the time comes to activate him.
When he was available, he was arguably the Braves’ best reliever on the staff. In 32 innings pitched, he’s allowed two earned runs (0.56 ERA). He complemented it with a 0.84 WHIP and a .184 opponent’s average.
His progress wasn’t linear. He had to stop throwing and then resume after a time, but he’s made his strides and is ready for live action again. He’ll join reliever Joe Jiménez, who returned to the mound for the first time in two years on Wednesday.
Getting Suárez back in the bullpen would be huge for the Braves, are just over a week out from expected postseason action in the Wild Card series. The Braves can clinch a postseason berth as early as Friday with a win or a Arizona Diamondbacks loss.
With the magic number sitting at one, they’ll need all the help they can get, especially in the bullpen.
The Braves are set to face the Houston Astros in what will be the first game of a three-game series on Friday. Tyler Mahle is on the mound for an 8:10 p.m. EDT first pitch, 7:10 p.m. CDT in Houston.
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