As it turns out, reliever Jesse Chavez has been dealing with more than a bruise

Jesse Chavez’s left shin bruise took longer than expected to heal, and he wondered why.

“I heal as fast as I usually heal and never get hurt because I heal so quickly, it’s kind of that thing where it’s like, ‘Why does it take so long for a bruise, if that’s the case?'” Chavez, who turned 40 on Monday, recalls.

Answer: It wasn’t just a bruise.

In the middle of the Braves’ final road trip, Chavez, who is back in Atlanta for rehabilitation, receives another MRI. I exposed a fine fracture in that tibia, providing him with much-needed clarity. He didn’t take the original MRI because his leg was very inflamed.

“Despite its small size, it can hide in infections,” Chavez said. “It doesn’t matter how smart you are or what kind of certificates you have on the wall, eventually you’re going to lose something. I understood why we wanted to have the other[MRI].”

At first, Chávez didn’t know why the team wanted him to have another MRI. He was progressing well. But he now realizes that was for the best.

Anyone who watched the play in which Chávez suffered the exact fracture would not be surprised to read this news. Miguel Cabrera, who will one day be a Hall of Famer, smoked a 100 mph returner who drilled Chavez in the left leg.

On Monday, Chavez delivered a live hitting practice session—a way to rehabilitate pitchers for facing hitters in a controlled environment. Chávez said he threw 30 pitches. He threw all his courts.

It looked bad at the time. X-rays were negative, but Chávez could not press on that leg.

“As for the layoff, I will say it seemed as close to my nature as it gets,” Chávez said. “There are no problems lingering from the shin, where it got hit, or anything like that. That’s the good part. It’s been getting better day by day. The running is getting better.”

Chavez said he expects to throw another live hitting practice session at the end of the week. If all goes well, he hopes to start a rehab stint after that.

Chavez said that running is the last step for him. He must prove that he can run at full speed and specialize in his position.

All is well, though.

“The last few weeks, I’d say my shin wasn’t a problem, since I hurt,” he said. “The calf got activated again, and the muscles got used to working again. I would say when[the Braves]were on their[last]road trip, in the middle of that road trip, I would say I finally started to feel pain in my left leg, in a way Good.Because I didn’t feel anything but moving my right leg.Starting to feel like activating again was the biggest advantage for us going forward now that I can skip now, I’m able to push up, I can do single leg squats and things like that – where I didn’t I even manage to do it 15 days ago. And that’s where I was beating myself up for not knowing, and then we figured out what really happened after, finally, all the infections and stuff being taken out of effect—there was just a little something there.”

Recently, as mentioned above, Chavez learned about the microfracture.

“So, being able to understand that part made me feel good,” he said. “Once this happened and I found out, my recovery really got faster and better on a daily basis.”

The Braves medical team told him to relax because the microfracture would heal on its own. It didn’t look like Chavez stopped rehab when he found out, because, well, that’s not Jesse Chavez. He go, go, go. If he’s not in the gym, he’s in the weight room.

Brave said to him: “It will take its course.”

“And that was the hardest part, I want to get the course for it,” Chávez added.

The return caused Chavez neurological problems.

He said: “(The calf) does not know when to hold and when to bend.” “When I hit[the ground]I walked toe to heel instead of using my feet, because everything was like clockwork, for there was no calf between them, and this one launches the middle of the arc, running through the calf muscle. That was the biggest thing , Was there nerve damage than it was, and it was really bad when it hit me. Calf recovery is the biggest advantage at the moment. I wouldn’t have been able to (live hitting practice) if my calf hadn’t been activated in the last 10 days or 15 days. That’s 100% sure. They didn’t let me out there today.”

If all goes well, it looks like Chávez may be healthy in time to return to the job market. Pitchers can be on rehabilitation assignment for up to 30 days. It all depends on Chavez’s progress and how long the brave ones leave him on the task of rehabilitation.

He is definitely looking forward to going back.

“It eats me not to be with them every day having to go through with them,” Chávez said. “But they know I’m out there watching them do it and continue the special race we’re in. It’s so special, and I clap my hands every time I watch it. It makes me happy and so grateful for them – for the kind of group we have and the guys we’ve brought in, that’s for sure.”