MEXICO CITY - MARCH 10: Second baseman Hector Olivera #28 of Cuba scores a run in the top of the seventh inning on a two-out double by Michel Enriquez #12 of Cuba that cuts the Australia lead to 4-3 during the Pool B, game four against Australia in the first round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic at Foro Sol Stadium in Mexico City, Mexico, Monday March 10, 2009. Cuba defeated Australia 5-4. (Photo by Paul Spinelli/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Cuban infielder Hector Olivera, the prime prospect acquired by the Atlanta Braves in a blockbuster deal at the trade deadline, won't be seeing game action anytime soon.
The Braves on Thursday said Olivera will not play in a rehab game for at least 10 more days as he attempts to work his way back from a hamstring injury.
Olivera, signed to a six-year, $62.5 million deal by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the offseason, was initially hurt on June 20 while playing at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He re-aggravated the injury early last month and has not played since.
Braves president of baseball operations John Hart described Olivera as "the first building block" of the team's overhaul after Atlanta shipped pitchers Alex Wood, Jim Johnson and Luis Avilan to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a three-team,, 13-player deal that included the Miami Marlins.
The early returns on the field for the 30-year-old Olivera have been promising. He batted .348 at three minor league levels, including .387 (12-for-31) in seven games at Oklahoma City.
The Dodgers outbid a number of teams, including the Braves, to sign Olivera to a contract that featured a $28 million signing bonus, for which Los Angeles is responsible.
(h/t MLB.com)
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.