Here’s how Mike Trout added to Drew Smyly’s ‘huge step forward’ with Rangers
Another day, another Tommy John comeback story on the mound for the Texas Rangers.
A third will pitch for them Friday.
But it was Drew Smyly’s turn Thursday, and, like Edinson Volquez on Wednesday, he considered it a significant day in his career.
Smyly hasn’t pitched an MLB game since 2016. While he appeared in a minor-league rehab game last season, the meaningless spring game against the Los Angeles Angels wasn’t meaningless to him.
The left-hander tossed a perfect inning, and the Angels didn’t make it easy on him. Mike Trout was their first batter, and Smyly got the two-time MVP to bounce to third.
“In a weird way I was excited to see him in there,” said Smyly, who underwent Tommy John surgery July 6, 2016.
“You’re away from the game for so long, you do so much rehab and to come back, even though it’s a spring game, your first major-league game you get to face the best in the world, which is Mike Trout, that’s why you play at this level and keep playing.”
Smyly was happy with the way his fastball was getting on the hitters he faced, but he was especially happy with how he felt afterward. He has no issues with his elbow, didn’t have any during the off-season, and hasn’t had any this spring.
He’s ready to start building his arm strength. He’ll be allowed to go two innings next week and expects to have no problems getting to five or six by the end of camp.
But he also doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. Smyly learned during his long layoff that looking down the road can be hazardous and result in some frustration.
“It’s just a huge step forward,” he said. “I think that first start of the regular season will be a much bigger deal, but you’ve just got to take it one step at time. Everyone says trust the process. It’s been 18, 19 months since my surgery, longer than that since I pitched in a major-league game, so I’ve gotten pretty good at taking it just a day at a time.”
Right-hander Shelby Miller, who pitched some in the majors last season after Tommy John surgery in 2017, is scheduled to pitch an inning Friday against the Chicago White Sox.
Smyly was rooting for Volquez and will be pulling for Miller.
“We’re all in the same boat,” Smyly said. “It’s encouraging, I think for all of us, to be able to lean on each other and walk the same path. But we know if we all stay healthy that there’s a lot of promise in our team.”
