Braves hopeful catcher Flowers can avoid DL

Braves catcher Tyler Flowers left Sunday’s game because of a hamstring injury. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

Credit: Curtis Compton

Credit: Curtis Compton

Braves catcher Tyler Flowers left Sunday’s game because of a hamstring injury. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com

The Braves are optimistic that catcher Tyler Flowers will avoid being placed on the disabled list because of the right hamstring injury that forced him to leave the game on Sunday.

“Talking to the training staff, they were encouraged by what they saw of him,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said Monday. “Hopefully it will only be a couple days. We will re-evaluate tomorrow and see but I don’t think it’s as bad as anybody feared when he came off the field.”

Flowers suffered the injury while running the bases for a double in the seventh inning against the Padres. Catcher Anthony Recker replaced Flowers as a pinch runner after the next batter, Jace Peterson, made an out.

The Braves said Flowers strained the hamstring.

“Tyler felt like he can catch right now,” Snitker said. “The biggest thing is swinging the bat and coming out of the box. The strength is good. There is no (internal bleeding).”

The Braves have three catchers on the roster: Flowers, Recker and Kurt Suzuki. Snitker said having an extra catcher “gives us a little leeway to wait on (Flowers).”

Flowers had two hits on Sunday to improve to 11-for-27 (.407) on the season.