All-star outfielder Ryan Braun gave the Brewers a big scare Saturday when he left the club’s Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks with a strained intercostal muscle.
It turns out he’s going to be just fine.
According to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Braun actually suffered the injury while shagging fly balls against the outfield wall during pregame warmups. He felt healthy enough to start the game and only came out in the first inning as a precaution.
Braun spoke to McCalvy on Sunday afternoon and reported feeling not only “fine,” but also better than he has ever felt in his entire life.
“It’s nothing at all,” Braun said. “I could have played [Saturday] but there’s no sense in it. Honestly, I feel better than I’ve ever felt in my life, so I don’t really need at-bats right now. There’s no doubt in my mind I’m better than I’ve ever been at baseball, so nothing positive comes from the rest of these Spring Training games. I don’t need at-bats. I feel great. So there’s no reason to take a chance right now.”
Braun is likely to sit out for the next week or so, but he can get his timing right in late March before the start of the regular season and be a healthy member of Milwaukee’s Opening Day starting lineup. The 27-year-old has immense natural talent and is certainly capable of backing up that “better than I’ve ever felt” talk. He has a .918 career OPS and 128 career home runs as a four-year major leaguer.
