The Atlanta Braves activated veteran utility option Sean Rodriguez on Monday afternoon, completing his recovery from an offseason car accident well ahead of schedule.
The 32-year-old journeyman, who enjoyed a career season at the plate with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016, suffered a “three and three-quarter tear” in his left rotator cuff, labrum damage and dislocated bicep tendon in a Jan. 28 crash also involving his wife and two sons. In mid-February, Dr. James Andrews surgically repaired the damage but Rodriguez was facing the possibility of missing the entire season.
Instead, he re-enters the equation in mid-July after a grueling recovery, starting at third base in his first-ever game at SunTrust Park.