Drew Storen in line to join Washington Nationals’ bullpen immediately after the All-Star break-MLB
Elbow surgery that relief pitcher Drew Storen had undergone has rendered his arms to throw smoothly, now. After being out from the season, Storen has been nursing hopes of returning at the earliest.
Due to the rehabilitation process, he was unable to come back, early. However, a complete recuperation that he has achieved now means that he will be playing for the Washington Nationals immediately after the All-Star break.
In a simulated game on Monday, he will have another opportunity to fine-tune his skills. Afterwards, he will head to rehab assignments which will probably be the last bridge in his quest to appear in Major League games.
Simulated game will invite special attention of the Nationals’ manager Davey Johnson, who has to make sure that his arm strength is exactly what he expects from a late-innings hurler.
Relief pitchers that return from surgery are always prone to witnessing their arm-strength depleting. What happened with relief pitcher Brad Lidge can be a case in point.
Lidge, after returning from surgery, failed to keep control on his arms and thus leaked runs, becoming a major reason of the clubs’ defeats a few times. The Nationals designated him for later assignments.
In light of this, Johnson will be observing Storen closely.
However, one will be rational to take Storen differently in the present context. The fact unlike Lidge, he served proper time in the practice sessions and went through rigorous work-outs after the surgery, gives one a reason to believe that he will not meet
the same fate.
One can expect Storen to becoming a great support to the Nationals’ bullpen.
Meanwhile, Storen steps up to claim that he is feeling great and has no problem with his arms. At the moment, Storen is focused on playing his first game of the season and become a reliable option for the club.
“I’m pretty amazed,” Storen said. “My elbow feels better now than I think it did ever last year. Even last year, after you’re down it would be a little swollen. I just thought that was normal. Now it feels really good.”
Currently a major task for Storen will be getting through the simulated and rehab games. By showing control and command, he can earn the confidence of the manager, which will pave the way for his appearance in the season.
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