Braves: Injury updates for Drew Smyly and Travis d’Arnaud

The Braves continue to get positive news on the injury front.

Travis d'Arnaud will begin his rehab assignment at the end of the week, Snitker said. D'Arnaud, returning from torn thumb ligament, has been with the team throughout this trip, doing full workouts including hitting. He started hitting with two hands again at the All-Star break.

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 27, 2021

Smyly just finished testing his knee with some running drills. He is expected to make his scheduled start on Thursday.

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) July 27, 2021

We posted some updates on Huascar Ynoa and Ian Anderson, and it appears the Braves are going to get some additional help around the trade deadline.

Travis d’Arnaud wasn’t playing to the same level he did in 2020 when he won a Silver Slugger, but catcher has been a position that the Braves have had issues with all season. Stephen Vogt has been solid since he was traded to Atlanta, but Kevan Smith has not provided the Braves with much. Even with a .594 OPS before the injury, you have to hope d’Arnaud can provide the Braves with a spark beginning in early August.

Drew Smyly had a bad start to 2021, but he has been a key piece of Atlanta’s staff since he got hot in June. Smyly posted a 2.84 ERA in June and followed it up with a 2.66 ERA in July. The Braves need all the help he can get, so it’s great news that he is almost ready to get back in the mix.