Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons missed his fifth consecutive game Thursday with a bone bruise in his right thumb. He hasn’t hit since suffering the injury Saturday in Philadelphia, but he said his thumb feels OK grabbing a bat.
“It’s definitely improving. Thank God there’s no setbacks,” Simmons said. “Everything is going good, it’s just a matter of convincing them to let me go the extra mile and start hitting and get in the game.”
Simmons fielded ground balls again Thursday during batting practice. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said Simmons’ thumb during the glove-to-hand transfer while fielding Tuesday, but Simmons said that wasn’t as much of a problem Wednesday.