LOS ANGELES – Reinforcements could be on the way.
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Brandon McCarthy is set to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday.
McCarthy has been out since April of 2015 after he underwent Tommy John surgery. Recovery time is between one and two years, but McCarthy has begun a throwing program and on Monday threw a live batting practice session with manager Dave Roberts and Yasiel Puig.
McCarthy will pitch three-innings for Class-A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday and could return to the starting rotation after the All-Star break.
The 32-year-old pitcher has a history of injuries over the course of his career, and has been on the disabled list more than ten times since 2007.
Currently, the Dodgers have four starting pitchers on the disabled list as in addition to McCarthy, left-hander Brett Anderson, Alex Wood and Hyun-Jin Ryu are all currently recovering from injures.
The team thought that Ryu would be the first of the four to return to big league action, but he has suffered numerous setbacks in his recovery from shoulder surgery last May.
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Most recently, Ryu felt pain and lingering soreness in his shoulder after rehab assignments at Rancho and Oklahoma City. He recently began a throwing program, but the Dodgers will surely be slow with his return this time around.
Provided that McCarthy suffers no setbacks as he returns to face professional hitters this weekend, the Dodgers could have their hard-throwing right-hander back at the end of July.
Recognize that stance? Mgr Dave Roberts facing McCarthy in sim game #Dodgers pic.twitter.com/6dNwENjNhM — David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) June 6, 2016
