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Ready in a pinch, Mallex happily returns to Braves
- Updated: September 16, 2016
ATLANTA — Mallex Smith returned to Turner Field wearing that same smile he had when his rookie season was rudely interrupted in June by a pitch that fractured his left thumb. Having spent the past couple of weeks getting back in the swing of things with Double-A Mississippi, the always upbeat outfielder is ready to take advantage of any playing time he gets over the remainder of the season at the big league level.
“This is extremely important,” said Smith, who was activated from the 60-day disabled list Friday. “I wanted to be comfortable, knowing my hand was OK and just knowing I can do whatever I want with it. I don’t need to be cautious. I can play the game without worrying if my hand is OK.”
Smith served as one of Atlanta’s regular outfielders before his thumb was fractured by a pitch thrown by Mets left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo on June 19. But it appears the 23-year-old outfielder will spend the remainder of the season on the bench as the Braves continue to utilize Matt Kemp, Ender Inciarte and Nick Markakis as their starting outfielders.
Given …
