The Ravens are being deliberate in Rashod Bateman’s return from a Lisfranc foot injury that ended his season in 2022. The receiver had limited work in the organized team activities as he works his way back.
Bateman, though, is not participating in the minicamp as he recently received a cortisone shot in his foot.
“I’m not expecting Bate to a part of it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, via video from the team. “Right now, he had a shot for healing purposes, so that will keep him out for a couple of days. We just decided to let him just keep rehabbing and make sure he’s ready to go for training camp.”
Bateman played only six games in 2022 before landing on season-ending injured reserve with his foot injury that required surgery in November.
He played 18 games and missed 16 his first two seasons after the Ravens made him a first-round pick. Bateman underwent core muscle surgery before his rookie season.
But Bateman was averaging 19.0 yards per catch, with 15 catches for 285 yards and two touchdowns, before his injury last season.
His new teammate, Odell Beckham, can empathize with Bateman as he’s coming back from a second torn anterior cruciate ligament that kept him out all of last season.
“I know that it’s never easy,” Beckham said, via Jonas Shaffer of thebaltimorebanner.com. “Each injury is usually different, but it’s just about helping each other out with the mentality. When you come back from being injured, there’s always that little bit of fear that you have to get over. You don’t want it to happen again. We haven’t talked about it as much in the room, but he was training with me . . . so we chopped it up about it. I think he’s headed in the right direction.”
