ATLANTA (AP) -Braves pitcher Mike Hampton took a small step in his long-delayed comeback, throwing off the mound in the Atlanta bullpen Tuesday before a game against the Florida Marlins.
Just don’t expect him to return any time soon.
Working off a mound for the first time in more than a month, Hampton threw about 25 pitches – all fastballs – and reported no problems from a strained left pectoral muscle. He plans to throw again on Thursday and increase his output to around 40 pitches.
“It went well,” the left-hander said. “I felt good about it.”
While putting no timetable on his return, Hampton conceded that he was probably more than a month away from having a chance to pitch in the big leagues. He’ll need a few more bullpen sessions to work in his breaking pitches, then would have several rehab appearances in the minors to build up his arm strength.
“It will probably be around the (All-Star) break,” he said, “if I don’t have any setbacks.”
There are certainly no guarantee when it comes to Hampton.
He hasn’t pitched in a big league game since 2005, sitting out the last two seasons after a pair of major elbow surgeries. His attempts to come back this year have run into repeated problems: a hamstring injury while pitching in Mexico over the winter, a strained groin in spring training and, now, the pectoral injury, which occurred while he was warming up for what was supposed to be his return to the majors on April 3.
Hampton’s latest problem occurred during a rehab start for Triple-A Richmond on April 30. He had to leave after 3 1-3 innings because of continuing discomfort in his chest, and he had not been on the mound since then until Tuesday.
“I’m not thinking about it,” he said. “I’m just trying to throw like I normally do between starts.”
Add A Comment