Nick Markakis hopeful for Opening Day, won’t rush rehab with Atlanta Braves
New Atlanta Braves outfielder Nick Markakis said today that he is hopeful to be in the starting lineup with the Atlanta Braves by Opening Day, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to rush his rehab process.
MLB.com’s Mark Bowman had all of the information via Twitter:
Markakis says he hopes to be in the Opening Day lineup, but he will not rush things at the expense of aggravating his neck
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 25, 2015
Markakis says he hopes to be ready for Opening Day, but he won't rush himself to realize that goal.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 25, 2015
Markakis will definitely not play during the early portion of the Spring Training schedule
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 25, 2015
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As much as we criticized the Nick Markakis deal earlier this offseason, it is important for the team to have him back and healthy from his offseason neck surgery. He underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc that has bothered him the past few seasons, and that is a real concern moving forward.
Given the state of Atlanta’s offense, it’s certainly possible that Markakis–who is coming off of a .276/.342/.386 season with a 106 wRC+–could be the team’s second-best hitter, behind Freddie Freeman.
With Spring Training on the horizon, Braves fans are about to get a glimpse of this brand new team. With the contract and track record that Markakis will be bringing in, he’ll be one of the few new players with high(ish) expectations.