Jonny Venters continued to have elbow soreness when he resumed his throwing program last week in Orlando, so he went to visit Dr. James Andrews for an MRI and to have his elbow evaluated. Venters said Wednesday that Andrews told him his elbow was structurally sound but gave him a platelet-rich plasma injection to try to ease his discomfort.
Venters will need an additional three to five weeks of rest before he can attempt to throw again, to let the injection take effect.
“The MRI looked good,” Venters said. “There’s a little bit of flexor strain in there, so I ended up getting a PRP shot. So everything’s good. I’m just going to take some time and let that ligament mature a little more and start throwing here in a little bit.”
Venters is attempting to come back from his second Tommy John surgery. He had his first operation as a minor leaguer in 2006. He underwent the procedure again on May 16, 2013. When he got on the mound last month to face hitters in live batting practice for the first time, Venters started having elbow discomfort. After two week-long periods of rest, he still felt discomfort when he resumed his throwing program.
Odds of pitchers returning to form after a first Tommy John surgery are high, typically after a 12-month recovery period. Odds for those returning the second time are a lot longer, and recovery times are expected to be more like 12 to 18 months, or longer. Venters is experiencing that challenge first hand.
“It’s tough because I want to pitch and I want to help this team and I want to get out there as soon as possible, and that’s what I’m going to do,” said Venters, who’s focusing on his day-to-day recovery and not the bigger question of whether he’ll be able to prolong his career. “Whenever it’s ready, it’s ready. Hopefully, it’ll be sooner than later.”