One of the most promising aspects of the 2011 season for the Los Angeles Dodgers was right-handed pitcher Rubby De La Rosa, who began the season in Double A but excelled in the big league starting rotation during the summer. His season was cut short in July by Tommy John surgery, but the pitcher said on Wednesday that his recovery was going better than he had hoped.
"It's unbelievable," De La Rosa said. "I'm ready."
De La Rosa, who was 4-5 with a 3.71 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 61 innings in 2011, said on Wednesday that he has had no setbacks in his recovery. De La Rosa has spent most of the winter in Arizona, returning home to the Dominican Republic for only one week during the offseason.
As of now, De La Rosa is throwing at what he called an "easy" intensity off flat ground, and won't throw off a mound until April. De La Rosa said that while he was worried about his recovery from surgery that took a tendon from his right wrist to place in his right elbow, but at some point in January he began to gain confidence and now feels better than ever.
In fact, sometimes he feels too good, in that he starts throwing too hard during his pitching sessions, having to be reminded to dial it back a bit. The timetable for De La Rosa to return is shortly after the All-Star break.
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