The last time we saw Cliff Lee, he finished up a solid outing against the Reds on May 18th, going 6.2 innings, giving up two runs on nine hits. Little did we know, that would be the last time we'd see him on the mound for a while. Two days after that start, Lee was placed on the 15-day disabled list for a strained flexor-pronator tendon. Lee had never had elbow issues before, but threw 100+ pitches in eight of his ten outings thus far in 2014, including 128 in a 1-0 loss to the Braves.
Fast forward to Wednesday, Lee was seen throwing a baseball for the first time since May the 19th, the day before he was put on the disabled list. He did some light throwing, tossing about 35-40 balls in the session. Lee had been waiting longer to begin throwing, as the soreness in his elbow had yet to completely disappear.
Lee was very brief when he was asked how the elbow felt when he met with the media (via CSNPhilly.com)
“It’s not 100 percent,” he said. “But it’s better.”
While there may not be a timetable for his return just yet, it is encouraging to see the Phillies ace return to throwing without any pain in his elbow. Lee is scheduled to play catch again on Thursday and will attempt to throw back-to-back days before he begins getting back up to full speed. This being said, Cliff is still a bit away from returning as building his arm strength back will take some time.
Adams and Asche updates…
Mike Adams was placed on the disabled list because of right shoulder inflammation, but his MRI came back negative, showing no damage in the 35-year-old's shoulder. While Adams is still at least 10 days away from throwing, the MRI results were good news to the Phils setup man. (via CSNPhilly.com)
“The rotator cuff looked all right. That's what I was really worried about,” Adams said. “My rotator was really banged up last year. That's what led to the whole surgery. The results came back a lot better than we were expecting. There is a little bit going on with the labrum. There is a little bit of fraying going on. We'll do an injection later this week to get it to calm down. We'll try to strengthen it back up and get on a throwing program.”
Mike Adams will receive a cortisone injection at some point later this week rather than opting for surgery to hopefully strengthen a frayed labrum. Earliest return for Adams would be end June.
Cody Asche seems to be the closest of the three to returning, as the Phillies third baseman has been playing in simulated games and could see a rehab assignment as early as Friday with the Blueclaws.
Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Phillidelphia.com
