Freddie Freeman hoping to return before August

Injured Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman still has not been cleared to resume baseball activities, but the hope still is that he will be back in the lineup before August.

Assistant general manager John Coppolella said there is still a chance Freeman will be activated from the disabled list next week after the All-Star break. But it is still a little too early for the club to provide a specific return timetable for its valuable first baseman, who has been sidelined since June 18 with a sprained right wrist.

Freeman was hoping to be cleared to resume some baseball activities by the end of this week, and then begin a Minor League rehab assignment early next week. But it appears he will need to wait a little longer to begin his comeback.

Atlanta has managed to weather the storm without Freeman winning seven of their last 10 games to pull within a game of .500 at 42-43. However, the Braves' offense clearly misses Freeman's bat in the middle of the order. Despite being on the disabled list since June 18, Freeman still leads the club in home runs with 12 and is second in RBIs with 41.

Kelly Johnson has done a nice job filling in for Freeman and is hitting .286 in July. However, if the Braves hope to remain in the race for the division or the last wild card spot, then they are going to need a healthy and productive Freeman back in the lineup.