Braves outfielder Matt Diaz has been out of action since May 14 with a thumb injury. The leftfielder needed surgery to remove a bat splinter from his right hand. The injury first surfaced late last season but really affected Diaz this year as the career .310 hitter dipped down to .178 in just 26 games. Diaz, who routinely wears out left-handed pitching, hit a career-high 13 home runs last year to go with a .313 average. Last Thursday, Diaz passed a grip test which will now let him pick up a bat to start swinging to really begin his comeback.
“It’s going good. It’s a frustrating process, you know,” said Diaz last Wednesday, the day before his doctor’s appointment. “I try to be patient, which isn’t in my nature, but it’s coming along good. In the last few weeks, I’ve made some big strides.”
Because of the positive news, Diaz was able to take batting practice Saturday before game two of the Royals series. There was no news of any hiccups following the session, which should help Diaz get back quicker. “It (the recovery) will depend on how (the thumb) responds to how much hitting I can do.”
In Diaz’s absence, several players have stepped in to pick up the slack, with some success. “We’ve got plenty of depth out there in the outfield,” said Diaz about the seemingly solidified outfield. “That was one thing we said in spring training: we like out roster 1-25 because of the depth, and we’ve got a chance to show that because of some of these early injuries.” Eric Hinske has been raking since at a .311 clip with all five of his home runs coming after Diaz was put on the DL. “Hinske is playing great out there right now against righties.” Omar Infante, Brent Clevlen and Gregor Blanco have also filled in out in left during Diaz’s absence.
Diaz was originally expected to miss at least a month and return following the All-Star break, but now the righty could return sooner. “The more (BP) hitting I can do, the quicker I can get back.”
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