PHOENIX – Anthony DeSclafani dressed at a locker inside the visiting clubhouse at Chase Field on Friday, just as any normal player http://www.officialredssale.com/anthony-desclafani-jersey-c-1_8.html would. Later, he went to the bullpen to throw a 40-pitch side session.
That bullpen session was DeSclafani’s third since recovering from a strained ulnar collateral ligament suffered in spring training, a sign of progress for the 27-year-old Cincinnati Reds pitcher. But it’s highly unlikely the right-hander will be able to return before the calendar flips to August.
“I was hoping at some point after the All-Star Break, because I was really looking forward to going to Yankee Stadium (in late July),” said the New Jersey native, who has been rehabbing in Arizona since spring. “That’s probably not going to happen.”
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DeSclafani’s session Friday was the first in which he threw more than fastballs. DeSclafani said he threw all of his pitches – curveball, slider, change-up and heater – and that he felt good about his command.
Even though his return could be as http://www.rd-corp.com/wade-boggs-jersey-c-1_35.html much as a month away, DeSclafani is encouraged by how smoothly things have gone so far.
“I’ve had zero setbacks,” he said. “I’ve made every scheduled throwing session, bullpen, flat-ground. It’s been going well so far, so hopefully it stays the course.”
Rookie update
Right-hander Rookie Davis is on a rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola as he works back from a back issue, but manager Bryan Price couldn’t guarantee that Davis would at least bump up a level once his rehab stint wraps up. That’s not as much a comment on Davis, but on how overpopulated the Triple-A team is with young pitchers.
The Triple-A squad already has Amir Garrett, Cody Reed, Robert Stephenson and Tyler Mahle as top prospects in the rotation, with Jackson Stephens and Lisalverto Bonilla filling things out. Sal Romano also rejoined the club Friday, although he’ll return to the majors after the All-Star Break.
Some of those guys could wind up in Double-A just to ensure they pitch enough.
“At one point in time, we went to a six-man rotation in Triple-A,” Price said. “Where that might serve a purpose for some, it Greg Mancz Authentic Jersey wasn’t going to serve a purpose long term for all. We want them all starting pitching regularly, as opposed to a six-man rotation for the final six-seven weeks of the season.”