ATLANTA -- Now that Dansby Swanson will need a couple more days to recover from his bruised right heel, Braves manager Brian Snitker said the shortstop will likely play in at least one Minor League rehab game before being activated from the injured list.

“The longer we wait, he’s probably going to have to test it out in a game before we put him out there just to make sure,” Snitker said. “I’d hate for him to come out of the box or anything like that and find out he’s not where he needs to be.”

Swanson has been sidelined since bruising his heel during a July 23 loss to the Royals. He has spent this past week taking batting practice, throwing and completing other baseball activities. But he still felt some lingering soreness as he completed running exercises on Friday.

The Braves weren’t concerned enough to prevent Swanson from completing some of the same running drills on Saturday. But they want to maintain a cautious approach before clearing him to resume playing in games.

“I’m hoping it’s sooner rather than later,” Swanson said. “But we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Playing a game or two for Triple-A Gwinnett could prove beneficial in multiple ways for Swanson, who hit .227 (10-for-44) and produced a .606 OPS over the 11 post-All-Star break games he played before suffering the injury.

The Braves had initially hoped Swanson would be ready when he was eligible for activation on Saturday. Now that he’ll need at least a few more days to recover, Austin Riley could get a few more opportunities before possibly being optioned to Gwinnett.

Riley’s solo shot against Reds southpaw Alex Wood on Friday night was his first home run since July 6. The 22-year-old slugger has produced a .533 OPS while striking out in 44.8 percent of his 67 at-bats dating back to July 2. He exited June having produced a .908 OPS and a 35.2 percent strikeout rate through the first 43 games of his career.

Since Ender Inciarte returned from the injured list, Riley has started only against left-handed pitchers. The Braves are not expected to face another southpaw until Wednesday, when the Twins could send Martin Perez to the mound.

Gausman update
Snitker said Kevin Gausman will take his scheduled turn during Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the Twins. There was reason to ask about a possible rotation alteration after Gausman allowed five earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings against the Reds on Friday night.

Gausman allowed 17 earned runs over the final three starts (8 1/3 innings) that preceded him being placed on the injured list on June 11. When he was activated on July 21, he limited the Nationals to one run over seven innings. But he’s been charged with 11 earned runs in the two starts (10 2/3 innings) that have followed.

The Braves could have promoted Bryse Wilson from Gwinnett to start instead of Gausman on Wednesday. But with the recent addition of three veteran relievers -- Shane Greene, Chris Martin and Mark Melancon -- they no longer have an abundance of optionable pieces on their active roster. Sean Newcomb is the only current bullpen member who could be sent to the Minors without passing through waivers.

There’s a chance the Braves could work Mike Foltynewicz back into their rotation if he impresses during Sunday’s start with Triple-A Gwinnett. Foltynewicz has produced a 1.13 ERA over the past three starts he’s made for Gwinnett. He has shown recent improvement with his slider, the pitch that accounted for most of the struggles he encountered before being demoted in June.