Red Sox pitcher John Smoltz took an important step in his rehab from shoulder surgery today when he took the mound as a member of the Sox for the first time. Although this was just a practice session (40 pitches at about 70% effort) it was an important step for Smoltz, and the Sox, just the same. The 42-year old righty did say he felt "awkward" throwing off a mound for the first time since December (his Boston audition), but more importantly there were no reports of pain or setbacks. With 6 starters presumably good to go by Opening Day, having Smoltz ready now is not a priority, but this is a good sign that he is on schedule with his rehab. With the 6 other starters all pitching well (to varying degrees) and healthy (also to varying degrees) the Sox have the luxury of not rushing things here. And, before long, they will hopefully also have the luxury of adding John Smoltz to an already deep starting rotation.
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3 comments:
Assuming everyone gets healthy things could get very interesting with the rotation. Obviously Beckett, JTL and Dice-K are locks. That leaves Penny, Wake and Buchholz along with Smoltz for 2 spots.
Buchholz is arguably pitching better than anyone this spring but he has AAA options. Penny and Smoltz both have better stuff than Wake, but Wake is clearly not suited for the bullpen.
Will be very interesting to see how this plays out.
I just hope he is in the dugout most of the year
Smoltz is a HUGE Michigan State fan....look for him to give some quotes today or if they win....tomorrow
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