The Pittsburgh Pirates lost starting pitcher A.J. Burnett to a strained flexor tendon in his right elbow in late July. At first it was believed the right-hander would be lost for the season, but the latest rumors indicate he could return to MLB action in a couple of weeks.
Burnett threw a 70-pitch simulated game on Sunday and said he felt "really, really good," according to Stephen J. Nesbitt of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The veteran is aiming to return for the Pirates' Sept. 15 series against the Chicago Cubs.
"The pain is gone," Burnett added, via Nesbitt. "It's great. It's better than it's been in a long time."
General manager Neal Huntington also commented on the matter.
"He threw all three pitches effectively, the curveball was good, changeup good for A.J., and the fastball had life," he told George Von Benko of MLB.com. "He threw quality strikes. The report was that he threw the ball really well."
AJ tosses a simulated game in the Bucco bullpen this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/0aBY8ZhRQT
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 30, 2015
"[A mid-September return] would be a positive," he added, via Nesbitt. "If that's the way it plays out, that's great for us. If we need a little bit more time, we'll take a little more time."
He's expected to throw another simulated game on Friday.
Burnett, 38, is expected to retire after his 17th MLB season when the year comes to an end. Before going down with the injury, he was 8-5 with a 3.06 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 114 strikeouts in 21 starts (135 1/3 innings). Prior to a rough three-game stretch in late July, Burnett was have a career season with the Pirates and made it to the All-Star Game for the first time.
With the good news surrounding Burnett's rehab, the Pirates shuffled their rotation and announced over the weekend that Gerrit Cole will start Tuesday instead of Wednesday and Jeff Locke will start Wednesday instead of Tuesday as the club prepares for Burnett's return.
Stay tuned for updates on Burnett's progress over the next couple of weeks.
