Philadelphia Phillies' reliever Mario Hollands reportedly isn't far from beginning a minor-league rehab stint, as he attempts to return from Tommy John surgery.
Mario Hollands (TJ surgery) plans to throw live BP for 1st time in 1-1.5 weeks. The target to begin rehab assignment is April 1. #Phillies
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) March 12, 2016
As MLB.com's Todd Zolecki noted at this time last year, Hollands first sustained a flexor tendon injury late in the 2014 season and tried to rehab the injury without having surgery. Then last spring, the injury resurfaced, forcing him to have season-ending Tommy John surgery in early April.
The left-hander appeared in 50 games in 2014, posting a 4.40 ERA and a 3.88 FIP (per Fangraphs) in 47 innings. The Phillies have left-handers Elvis Araujo and Daniel Stumpf in camp, while Adam Morgan and Brett Oberholtzer could potentially be bullpen pieces if they don't win the fifth spot in the rotation. Propelled by an impressive 2015, Araujo seems like a lock to make the Opening Day roster, though the team will need at least one other lefty in the bullpen. It's possible that if Hollands is able to come back in May, he will be viewed as a better option than whoever is initially given that second lefty spot in the bullpen, and will return to the big league club.
Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) is the Managing Editor of Philliedelphia.com, focusing on news and features.
