Brewers' Braun back after ribcage 'spasm'

Aug/23/08 05:48 PM Filed in: Ryan Braun
RyanBraun
MILWAUKEE -- Ryan Braun is back in the Milwaukee Brewers' lineup Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and manager Ned Yost expects him to stay there.

Braun was sidelined for seven of the last nine games with a sore ribcage. His most recent start was Monday against Houston and he had to leave the game when the problem flared up again.

But Yost insists that the problem is not one of those nagging things that will impact his star left fielder down the stretch.

"I told him to make sure that when he was ready to play nine (innings), come see me," said Yost. "It's not an injury, it's a tightness. I don't even know what you'd call it. I don't classify it as an injury, something that needs to be healed. It was tightness on both sides of his ribs. It wasn't a strain, it wasn't like he pulled anything. It was almost like a spasm.

"I really, really don't think that it's an issue."

It didn't look like much of an issue to Braun, who had an infield single and a double in five at-bats. He also stole third base following his seventh inning double and then raced home on a routine ground out by Prince Fielder.

Braun leads the Brewers with 31 home runs and 87 runs batted in and his .300 batting average is tops among regulars.

(madison.com)