Kevin Gausman will begin rehab assignment tonight in Florida

Gausman’s road back begins tonight in Florida.

The Atlanta Braves have announced that injured right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman will begin a rehab assignment with the Florida Fire Frogs on Friday. Gausman last pitched back on June 10 in Pittsburgh before going on the injured list due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Gausman has had a strange season in that he was slowed early on in the spring by a sore shoulder. He pitched well early on before the wheels fell completely off in June. He allowed 17 earned runs over his last 8 1/3 innings combined in his last three starts. As ineffective as his 6.21 ERA looks, his 4.17 FIP suggests that he has been a bit unlucky as well.

As we discussed with Ender Inciarte earlier this week, there isn’t a clear cut path to a return for Gausman. The Braves rotation now features Dallas Keuchel, Max Fried, Mike Soroka and Julio Teheran. Bryse Wilson pitched well in his last start and the Brian Snitker has already indicated that he will be returning on July 16 to face the Brewers. Mike Foltynewicz is at Triple-A working on things but will also likely be returning to the majors at some point.

As these situations tend to sometimes work themselves out, the important thing for Gausman is for him to get himself right and headed back in the right direction. He is still several weeks away from a major league return but with his rehab period starting tonight, the clock is now ticking.