Braves Establish Rehab Assignment Plan for Drake Baldwin

The steps for Drake Baldwin’s return to the Atlanta Braves’ lineup have been set. Manager Walt Weiss said on Tuesday evening that he’s progressing, and a rehab assignment is imminent.

First, he’ll head down to the complex in North Port and face live pitching there on Thursday and Friday. During that time, one of the potential pitchers he could face is the recovering AJ Smith-Shawver. The right-hander is working his way back from a torn UCL that required Tommy John surgery.

Both will have a chance to recover from their respective injuries in tandem.

Once he’s done in North Port, he’ll head up to Gwinnett for games on Saturday and Sunday.

“It’ll be a good test for him,” Weiss said.

Baldwin has been missing in action since May 18 with an oblique injury. At the time of going down, he was one of the best hitters in the game. His .932 OPS is still good for eighth in Major League Baseball and third in the National League.

While the Braves have been able to get the job done offensively since Baldwin got hurt, the catcher position has been in a dire place at the plate. Sandy León brings high value defensively, but his base hit on Sunday was just his third in 36 at-bats this season.

Chadwick Tromp had a nice moment with the walk-off against the Nationals, but the Braves opted to designate him for assignment. They picked up catcher Austin Wynns, who is in the lineup for Tuesday night’s game in Chicago.

That game is set to get underway at 7:40 p.m. central, and Grant Holmes will be on the mound to start. He'll first go up against Brandon Eisert, who is set to open for former Braves pitcher Erick Fedde.

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