Matt Cain made only 15 starts last season before being shut down to undergo elbow surgery, which removed bone chips and spurs from the affected area. He's currently on the comeback trail and should be ready for the beginning of the season, but news from his latest start may suggest otherwise.
According to Chris Haft of MLB.com, Cain "admitted that lingering discomfort occasionally gives him a pause." The right-hander said on television, "I think the new area on the back of my elbow has really got to get used to really banging on each other, and going out and facing other hitters instead of our hitters is putting a little bit of strain on that."
There have been no setbacks in his recovery from elbow surgery, but the team did delay his spring training debut by two weeks. He made his first start against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 9 and tossed two scoreless innings. However, in his next outing against the Oakland Athletics, he surrendered four runs on six hits in 1 2/3 innings. He has started two minor league games since, with more longevity and success.
But following his latest 75-pitch start on Tuesday he acknowledged the discomfort in his elbow. The good news is that the medical staff said it was not structural damage and that the pain was likely a result of him building his arm back up to "pitching shape," according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.
"At first when [the soreness] happens, you're not really used to it," added Cain. "So you have to lean on the trainers a lot and know that these guys have heard this before from guys who have gone through the same situation. You have to trust that those guys know what they're doing. And they have done a good job of trying to calm it down if it does get a little bit sore."
Cain did say his arm strength felt "pretty good" and that it was the best he's felt in all of his starts thus far, but soreness at this point in spring training could limit him in the beginning of the regular season. The Yankees were very cautious with starter Masahiro Tanaka when he was experiencing soreness while rehabbing his partially torn UCL and working his arm back up to strength last season. They continued to do the same during the offseason even when he said he felt fine. Granted, Tanaka's injury is more of a mystery -- and more serious -- than Cain's, but it involves a similar road to recovery and getting in the right mindset.
The hard-throwing Cain sat around the 90-92 mph range so if the soreness persists and his velocity isn't as high as the team expects it to be, it's possible his 2015 debut is delayed.
