But when the five-time all-star comes to town again later this week, he just might hang around a while.
Jones, who’s been on the disabled list since June 6 with deep bone bruise and a partially torn ligament in his left foot, is scheduled to play for Rome on Wednesday night against the Kannapolis Intimidators at State Mutual Stadium .
That game, which begins at 7 p.m., is the opener of an eight-game homestand for the Braves.
This will be Jones’ second stint with the low-Class A Braves. He also made a one-game rehab appearance at SMS last May, going 0-for-4 in front of a sellout crowd.
On Thursday, Jones was quoted on the Atlanta Braves team Web site as saying he didn’t know how many games he would play during his rehab stint.
“A lot is going to depend on how I feel mobility-wise and how I feel at the plate,” Jones said. “I don’t want to come back into the (Atlanta) lineup and come out struggling. I want to go out there and produce like a guy in the middle of the lineup should.”
The former National League MVP was batting .282 with seven homers and 26 RBI prior to going on the disabled list.
He took batting practice with his Atlanta teammates on Friday, and says he hopes to rejoin the club soon after this week’s all-star break.
While his foot injury appears close to healing, he said his biggest concern is conditioning.
“Well, I know I’m not in shape,” Jones said during the interview for Atlanta Braves’ Web site. “Swinging, it felt good. (But) my mobility isn’t there yet.”
Initially, it looked as though Atlanta pitchers Tim Hudson and Mike Hampton might also make rehab appearances in Rome.
However, the likelihood of that has decreased significantly. The two injured pitchers — Hampton is out with a forearm strain and Hudson is recovering from a strained oblique — will likely pitch simulated games instead of taking rehab assignments alter this week.
Hampton and Hudson are each hopeful of rejoining the Braves during this week’s four-game series in New York
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