Garrett Richards tore his left patellar tendon during a start against the Boston Red Sox back in late August. He underwent surgery shortly thereafter and has since been on the road to recovery. Will he be ready for Opening Day?
On Monday, Richards threw his first bullpen session at the Los Angeles Angles' spring training facility in Tempe, Arizona, since suffering his unfortunate knee injury, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. Prior to being shut down for the season, the 26-year-old was candidate for the AL Cy Young Award (13-4 with a 2.61 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 164 strikeouts in 26 starts).
Angels pitching coach Mike Butcher said the team isn't sure when Richards will throw next, but today's bullpen session "looked good, felt good" for the right-hander. Pitchers and catchers will report to spring training for the Angels on Feb. 19, which is one day before Richards reaches the six-month mark in his recovery process. Doctors said the recovery would take anywhere from six to nine months.
"When I heard the words 'six months,' I instantly thought, 'Hey, Opening Day can be a real possibility,'" Richards recently told MLB Network. "So that's kind of been my target since Day 1. Once we get to Spring Training, the way I progress is kind of going to dictate things. But I feel good right now, and hopefully when I get to Spring Training, it'll only get better."
Angels' general manager Jerry Dipoto recently said Richards' progress has been promising and he's hopeful the right-hander will be ready for Opening Day. However, if that's not the case, the team expects him to be ready to go at some point in April. Richards has a little bit over a month and a half to get himself ready for his target date of April 6.
But Dipoto has prepared the team in the event Richards isn't ready for Opening Day or if he were to suffer a setback and miss more time. He acquired prospect starters Andrew Heaney and Nick Tropeano in trades with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros, both of whom are MLB-ready.
The Angels will open the season on the road against the Seattle Mariners.