ATLANTA (AP) Suspended Braves outfielder Hector Olivera has started a rehab assignment but has no guarantees he will return to the big-league club after his arrest on domestic violence charges.
Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said Friday that Olivera will play four or five days for the team's Gulf Coast League affiliate before reporting to Triple-A Gwinnett next week.
Olivera is eligible to return to the majors on Aug. 2, but the Braves have no timetables in place.
''No, there aren't, and we told Hector the same thing,'' Hart said. ''There just isn't a guarantee, and I think there's certainly going to be things we're going to be looking at off the field and the progress that we think he's made.''
Hart met with Olivera a couple of weeks ago in Florida at the Braves' extended spring training facility. Hart said Olivera was contrite regarding his April 13 arrest at a hotel outside Washington, D.C., but added that's only a start.
''I think he's making an honest effort to try and put himself back and sort of resurrect his career,'' Hart said. ''Other than that, we'll just follow it out, stay connected going forward. There's a lot of things we can do come Aug. 2.''
Olivera's quick demise was a big blow to Atlanta, which acquired him in a 13-player, three-team trade last July 30. The 31-year-old Cuban was expected to boost the team's offense in his first full season in the majors, but the arrest changed everything.
The Braves, who have been unsuccessful in attempts to trade Olivera, rank last in runs scored and homers and have baseball's worst record at 31-58.
Those poor numbers, however, pale in comparison to the report filed by Arlington, Virginia, police that Olivera was responsible for visible bruises on the body of a female acquaintance.
That resulted in an 82-game suspension without pay that commissioner Rob Manfred announced in late May and was retroactive to April 30.
Hart is ready for Olivera to speak to reporters about his actions. Olivera was scheduled to appear in court in Virginia earlier this month, but the date has been rescheduled.
''This is where we're at right now, and I think to the extent he wants to, those are the questions that should go Hector's way when he comes back,'' Hart said. ''I'm sure he'll get a lot of those questions at Gwinnett and if and when he comes back here, he'll have to answer those same questions.''
Olivera is losing $1,792,350 of his $4 million salary this season. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed him to a six-year, $62.5 million contract in May 2015. He is owed $28.5 million from 2017-20.
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