DENVER -- With the Braves on a roll, Dansby Swanson is back from the injured list. Atlanta activated the shortstop and optioned outfielder Adam Duvall to Triple-A Gwinnett prior to Monday's makeup game against the Rockies at Coors Field.

Swanson had been sidelined since July 24 with a bruised right heel, and he was in the starting lineup, batting sixth, against Colorado. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in the Braves' 3-1 loss.

Though the injury didn't initially appear to be serious enough to keep Swanson out for an extended period of time, it later became clear that it was more significant than first thought. He was in the midst of his best season at the plate so far, hitting .265/.330/.468 with 17 home runs in 100 games after hitting a career-high 14 homers in 2018.

"Being able to go down to [Class A] Rome and everything, just kind of get the confidence of being able to move around, was probably the biggest thing for me," Swanson said. "Just being able to trust moving laterally and running and all the other actions that are involved in a baseball game."

Though Swanson expressed frustration three weeks ago upon learning he'd be out longer than initially expected, he was glad to rejoin a club that had gone 20-10 in his absence to ward off a surge from the second-place Nationals, who entered Monday six games back of Atlanta in the National League East. Washington was 5 1/2 games back when Swanson was injured.

"It's nothing new," Swanson said. "That's just kind of what this team is about. It's about winning. No matter who's in there or where they're playing, they're going to make an impact."

The decision to activate Swanson on Monday, rather than waiting until Tuesday in Toronto -- in favor of adding a pitcher at Coors Field -- may have been made easier after Dallas Keuchel tossed seven scoreless innings against the Mets on Sunday. That gave the Braves' bullpen much-needed rest following a 14-inning affair Friday night.

Optioning Duvall as a corresponding move kept Atlanta's organizational depth intact, as outfielder Rafael Ortega is out of Minor League options.

Following a disappointing 2018 season between the Reds and Braves, in which he hit .132 with one extra-base hit in 33 games for Atlanta down the stretch, Duvall slashed .241/.289/.494 with six homers in 26 games after being called up July 27. Duvall began the season with Gwinnett, hitting .259/.349/.582 with 29 homers in 94 games.