Brian McCann is not eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list until Thursday, August 11, but the All-Star catcher is recovering nicely after straining an oblique last week. David Ross has filled in nicely behind the plate, but he simply doesn't have the impact that Mac has on a nightly basis.
From Mark Bowman's latest tweet:
McCann felt good hitting off a tee today. Hopes to take regular BP tomorrow.
Oblique strains can take as much as a month to recover from, so this is great news for the Braves. With Chipper Jones expected back in the lineup on Saturday, hopefully Atlanta can have a lineup at full strength for their upcoming 10-game home stand against the Cubs, Giants and Diamondbacks.
It is crucial for both the Braves and McCann to make sure his oblique is completely healed before returning to the lineup. Those kind of injuries can plague a player for months if it is not properly dealt with the first time and we do not want that happening to our star catcher.