Rockies starting pitcher Jorge De La Rosa tore his unlar collateral ligament May 24 last season, which all us baseball fans know leads to Tommy John surgery. The return from the procedure used to be slated at 12-18 months, but nowadays it has advanced to 10-14 months or so. Thus, it's no surprise that De La Rosa is looking to rejoin the Rockies in June.
The left-hander threw a simulated game Tuesday and a bullpen session Friday.
"The (simulated game) went well," he said (Denverpost.com). "And (Friday) I threw an aggressive bullpen. I really think I can be back in June."
De La Rosa, 31, was 5-2 with a 3.51 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 52 strikeouts in 59 innings before his injury in 2011. He was awful earlier in his career but has grown into a quality starter with the Rockies. Further, considering Jeremy Guthrie was the opening-day starter, De La Rosa could figure as the Rockies' ace, should he be able to return in good health. If the Rockies are in the thick of the NL West race in mid-June, a De La Rosa return may be tantamount to a big trade acquisition.
For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook.
