Cervelli exits with cramp in left quad
This browser does not support the video element.
TORONTO -- Braves catcher Francisco Cervelli was removed from Wednesday’s 9-4 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in the second inning after going from first to third on a double.
The Braves announced later in the game that Cervelli was taken out as a precaution with a left quad cramp. Tyler Flowers entered the game in Cervelli’s place, going 2-for-4 at the plate.
“We didn’t want to take any chances,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “They’ll treat him up tomorrow and look at him on Friday. I told him that, ‘If you stand out here, they’re going to hit a fly right now, just as sure as we’re sitting here,’ and we didn’t want to take any chances.”
After walking earlier in the inning, Cervelli was running on a double off the bat of Rafael Ortega. The ball had rolled deep into the right-center-field gap, so third-base coach Ron Washington waved Cervelli home as he approached. Cervelli pulled up, though, and had to stop at the base.
Ortega, who was running behind Cervelli, blew past second base, but he was able to scamper back in time because the nearest Blue Jays infielder was beyond the diamond waiting for the cutoff.
Cervelli signed with the Braves on Saturday after being released by the Pirates. The 33-year-old hadn’t played in the Major Leagues since late May as he worked his way back from a concussion.
"He was smart about it,” Snitker said. “Nothing popped. I think it bit him a little bit and he tested strong with the doctors. It was good that we erred on the side of caution on that."
Cervelli had appeared in six rehab games in the Pirates’ organization before joining Atlanta, where he filled a need when catcher Brian McCann hit the injured list with a left knee sprain. The Braves are expected to know more about McCann’s timeline for return when they return to Atlanta, but Snitker suggested that he may not need any rehab appearances when that time comes.
Beyond Cervelli, 23-year-old catcher Alex Jackson is the only other healthy catcher on Atlanta’s 40-man roster. Jackson, the club's No. 25 prospect, appeared in three games with the Braves earlier this season and was briefly recalled last Friday in New York. Jackson homered twice Wednesday for Triple-A Gwinnett to up his season long-ball total to 28, and he is batting .231 with an .858 OPS in 83 games.