Medlen’s injury minor, shouldn’t affect next start

PHOENIX — Kris Medlen was upbeat as usual Wednesday, eagerly demonstrating his normal range of motion in the left shoulder he injured sliding during Tuesday’s game.

Manager Bobby Cox said Medlen had a minor strain of the rotator cuff in his non-throwing shoulder and should be able to make his next scheduled start.

The young pitcher is 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA in his past five starts while filling in for injured pitcher Jair Jurrjens, who’s expected to be back in the rotation in 2-3 weeks.

“He’s really a good athlete,” Cox said of Medlen, who has two hits, three walks and two RBIs in two starts on the current road trip. “He’s pretty special. He reminds me of a jack-in-the-box, how he’s always going. He’s full of energy and fun to have on the team.”

Medlen got hurt on a sixth-inning slide at home plate, when he hustled to score from second base on a Jason Heyward single. He reached to tag the plate after scrambling to avoid the tag, and in the process Medlen’s shoulder jarred against the ground.

He grimaced from pain as he left the field, but Medlen said it subsided soon after he went to the clubhouse and iced.