Johan Camargo is dealing with an oblique injury and might not be ready for Opening Day. With his status up in the air, Rio Ruiz is a strong candidate to open the year in Atlanta.
Mark Bowman reported from Braves camp that Camargo is only taking dry swings and hitting off a tee. Camargo hasn’t appeared in a game in a week and doesn’t appear likely to play anytime soon.
Ruiz altered his swing over the winter and has hit better in recent weeks. He’s struggled whenever given a taste of the big leagues through 180 plate appearances -- .197/.283/.318 with four homers -- although he’s still just 24 years old and had a 115 wRC+ in Gwinnett from 2016-2017.
Oblique injuries can be tricky to fully recover from, and it seems the Braves are being cautious with Camargo as he comes back from it. We’ve got six months to play baseball; if you don’t take the time to get over the injury now it can linger for a long time.
Opening Day is March 29th against the Phillies at SunTrust Park.