Chris Withrow Patiently Taking Recovery ‘A Day At A Time’
Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Chris Withrow had his 2014 season cut short after tearing his UCL and undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair the tear last June.
Although he begins the year recovering, Withrow still took the time and gave updates on his progress. During Dodgers FanFest Saturday, he acknowledged he’s not rushing things while patiently letting his elbow heal.
“It’s tough for me to say where I am in the grand scheme of things, so I just kind of take it a day at a time,” Withrow said. The usual recovery from a Tommy John surgery is 12-18 months, and it has been six months since the procedure. In 20 appearances last year, Withrow pitched 21.1 innings with a 2.95 ERA.
Two months ago, Withrow underwent another surgery to fix a herniated disk in his back. While it didn’t change his expected recovery time, Withrow still believes he’ll make a return sometime during the season, although he isn’t sure when.
When discussing a potential time table, Withrow shared, “I think it was towards the end of the year and I’m assuming that’s the best-case-scenario, I don’t really know.” If Withrow were to return, he would likely be helping the Dodgers make another playoff push.
Withrow added while he has done some work it’s not enough to get a prognosis on his road back, “The way that it’s gone right now, I feel good and I haven’t thrown a significant amount yet, so I’m kind of just taking it a day at a time.”
He remains hopeful for a return, but notes he will have a better idea as he continues to test his elbow and how his body responds. “Do I think I’ll pitch this year? Yeah, there’s a possibility,” he remarked. “When that is, I don’t know. It’s going to be on my body to tell me when I’m ready.”
The Dodgers would love to have their young pitcher back sometime in 2015 and bolster their bullpen.
