NEW YORK – Braves pitcher Mike Foltynewicz is making steady progress toward returning from the disabled list and could begin a minor-league rehab assignment early next week.
On the 15-day disabled list with bone spurs in his pitching elbow, the right-hander threw off a mound Thursday at the team’s minor-league headquarters in Florida. He’ll face hitters there in batting practice or a simulated game at some point this weekend, Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said.
“Then I think he’ll be in line to do a couple of (minor league) rehab starts,” Snitker said. “Folty said he feels good. He doesn’t feel anything just playing catch and all that. That’s a good sign. I think he feels good about things, now it’s just a matter of going through the process to get him back on the mound and stretched out again.”
Fellow Braves starter Williams Perez isn’t as close to returning. On the DL since June 8 with rotator-cuff tendinitis, Perez hasn’t resumed his throwing program, but was expected to do that this weekend after traveling to Florida to ramp up his rehabilitation.
Foltynewicz last pitched May 30, when he limited the Giants to three hits and one run in six innings of a 5-3 Braves win to lower his ERA to 3.51. He was scratched day before his next scheduled start at Los Angeles and placed on the DL after an MRI showed bone spurs in his elbow, a condition that he’ll likely be able to continue pitching through indefinitely without requiring surgery, unless or until it worsens.
He didn’t feel confident pitching right away while getting accustomed to the idea that pitching with some discomfort from bone spurs doesn’t typically put a pitcher at risk for any more serious injury. If he was going to have to learn to pitch with the condition for the time being, he wanted to do it in controlled situations, not in major league games right away.
The Braves had him rest for about a week to let anti-inflammatory medication take effect, then eased him back into throwing. Now they’ll have him face hitters and then make a couple of rehab starts to get him ready to pitch again at the major league level.
Snitker said they want to get him up to about 85 pitches in a rehab start, “So when he comes back he’ll be right where he left off.”
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