Thirteen months removed from undergoing Tommy John surgery, Kyle Hurt is nearing the end of the long road back.
Hurt is set to begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, when the Comets open a series against the Astros' Triple-A affiliate in Sugar Land. Given the limited time to build up, it seems likely that Hurt will appear in a shorter-burst role for the final month of the regular season.
"Super exciting, man. Just to get under some lights," Hurt said Saturday, after throwing two simulated innings at Dodger Stadium. "It's been a long road, and it's really cool to see other guys that kind of went through the process and got back here. So I'm just hoping to do that."
The 27-year-old Hurt made his Major League debut in September 2023 and made three appearances for the Dodgers last season. His last game action before having surgery on his right elbow was July 4, 2024, with the Comets. He'll have until the Triple-A season ends on Sept. 21 to reacclimate to game action.
If all goes well, Hurt could be a bullpen option for the Dodgers down the stretch.
"Well, if he continues to trend. You never know how things are going to play out," manager Dave Roberts said. "But to keep that option open is certainly the plan."
What was most important for Hurt was not going an entire season without pitching in any games. Now that he's about to take the mound for a Dodgers affiliate, he's set on putting himself in position to potentially help the big league club.
"My goal was to always pitch this year, but it's whatever the team needs," Hurt said. "I just want to be an option. That was my goal."
Hurt was one of several Dodgers pitchers rehabbing from long-term arm injuries at the team's complex in Arizona. Being around others who were going through a similar process helped ease the everyday drudgery of building his arm back up, step by step.
As some of the rehabbers have gotten healthy, it has provided motivation for the others.
Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin, who were both rehabbing in Arizona last year, made long-awaited returns to the Majors this season. Emmet Sheehan began the season there before making his way back to the big leagues in June, a relatively swift timetable 13 months after having Tommy John surgery.
Seeing others go through the same trials and come out on the other side is encouraging. But being back on a big league mound -- if only for a simulated game -- was a real milestone in Hurt's recovery.
"Guys go through it," Roberts said. "To kind of be isolated on an island, then to get back in the mix, it’s good for them. We wanted to get Kyle here so he could see his teammates and spend a couple days here with us. That’s a good thing. But it’s a long road."
Hurt described the rehab process as having more lows than highs, which made it all the more rewarding when he began facing hitters about a month ago. He has since appeared in some bridge league games, which span the gap between the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and the Arizona Fall League.
The 12-14 months that span a typical recovery from Tommy John can be tedious. For Hurt, he had to "basically relearn how to throw a baseball" early on. Once he began to ramp up in his throwing progression, his priority was getting his fastball and changeup working. Another focus was improving his slider.
"It's hard at the beginning," Hurt said. "I went through a little bit of … fatigue, I guess, when I started throwing bullpens and bringing back all the offspeed stuff. I just had to keep pushing through it, and then eventually, things just started clicking again. Everything's been feeling really good lately."
Now, he's one stop away from the end of the road.