If everything goes as planned in his rehab assignment this week, Atlanta Braves SS Andrelton Simmons could be back in the major leagues by next weekend.
The fine folks at Talking Chop are keeping an eye on his progress in the minors, noting that Simmons looked good in his first game back in action for the Single-A Rome Braves on Wednesday:
Simmons, playing in his first game ever with Rome, made the throwing error, which should be expected considering he's recovering from a broken pinky on his throwing finger, but also cleanly fielded 5 other balls and went 1-4 at the plate.
In his rookie season, Simmons is hitting .296/.336/.452, excellent numbers for someone playing one of the toughest defensive positions on the field.
Without him, Atlanta has gotten almost no offense from their shortstops, so Braves fans have to hope that his rehabilitation continues on schedule as the team hopes to avoid a repeat of 2011 in this year's pennant race.
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