Chipper Jones’ recovery from knee surgery last Saturday has gone well and the Braves third baseman said yesterday that he’s “felt fine for a few days now.”
Jones told Chris Cox of MLB.com that he’s optimistic about coming off the disabled list when eligible on July 24, but remains undecided about whether he’ll head out on a minor-league rehab assignment first or simply jump right back into the Braves’ lineup. He’s scheduled to hit off a tee today.
Jones was selected for his seventh All-Star game despite finishing the first half with a modest .259 batting average and .768 OPS in 77 games, but he was in the midst of a 9-for-28 (.321) hot streak to start this month before being shut down with two games to go before the break.
His absence has been doubly tough for the Braves because Martino Prado is also on the DL, so they’ve turned to 35-year-old Julio Lugo and his decrepit bat for back-to-back starts in his place. However, barring a setback Prado could rejoin the lineup as soon as tonight after missing more than a month with a staph infection in his calf.
