MIAMI -- Marlins left-hander Ryan Weathers threw a bullpen -- his first since landing on the injured list two months ago -- prior to Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the Astros at loanDepot park.
Weathers used his entire arsenal (fastball, changeup, sinker, bullet slider and sweeper) during a 20-pitch session.
“Felt really good,” Weathers told MLB.com. “Velo was good. All pitch metrics were the same. Just building up now and getting my arm back in shape. Threw the first couple fastballs and the shape felt good. ‘All right, let's go to changeup.’ Changeup shape was good, and all the shapes were good, so I was satisfied with where everything was at. Now, it's just continuing to keep throwing.”
The 25-year-old Weathers, who initially exited his June 7 start for precautionary reasons when his velocity dropped innings after a fluke incident, felt shoulder discomfort while trying to play catch the following day. Miami would place him on the 60-day injured list on June 9 with a left lat strain.
Now, the expectation is for Weathers to pitch again, barring a setback.
“It was exciting to watch,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “Ryan looked great. He's in a really good place right now, mentally [and] physically. We're very excited with how this has come along, considering where things were a few months ago, so [it's] encouraging that Ryan is back on the mound. …
“We'll remain cautiously optimistic that Ryan continues to feel good and recovers well, bounces back well, that Ryan is on a track to pitch for us again this season, assuming that everything continues to trend in the direction that it's gone, which is great for him. Our medical crew, they've done an awesome job, and not to try to put it out there that that's going to happen. It's as much that we're just excited that's even a possibility at this point. And we'll just see how Ryan continues to feel, respond to increase in intensity, increase in volume, and let that guide where it ends up taking us.”
According to Weathers, within a week of the diagnosis, he was already feeling better.
“It was just weird, like there's only one position they put my arm in that felt weird, which is obviously frustrating,” Weathers said. “But definitely something could have been a few pitches away from possibly something else happening. So I think the Lord kind of blessed me with not letting me go a few more pitches. I'm just excited that I still have the opportunity to possibly pitch this year.”
Weathers will join the Marlins on their upcoming three-city road trip through Atlanta, Cleveland and Boston to continue his rehab progression. The plan is for him to throw “Day 3 bullpens” akin to a starter’s routine, though there’s no set number of innings or pitches in mind to build up to.
Last summer, Weathers missed substantial time with a left index finger strain, but he returned in September to make three starts.
Getting back on the mound would be a physical and mental relief for Weathers, who opened the season on the injured list with a left forearm strain. Before the lat strain, he had posted a 2.49 ERA in four starts, excluding the abbreviated outing.
It also would help out the Marlins’ young arms that are close to or already surpassing career highs for innings and appearances. Plus, Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez returned from Tommy John surgery.
“It's twofold,” McCullough said. “One, for the players who have missed a significant amount of time to, in Ryan's case, I think the peace of mind going into an offseason. You were able to come back, feel strong, be able to get back potentially into Major League competition and take that with you into the offseason. I think mentally, that's a big thing. You can transition your focus a little differently into the offseason. Certainly for us, organizationally, with Ryan, how big of a part we see him, and so that would be great for us.
“As far as the innings limits, we've been monitoring those types of things all season long, feeling in a very good place with how a lot of their stuff has continued to be fine, how they felt between outings, whether they're starting or relieving. And I think we'll continue to take that kind of read and react course of action through the rest of the season as we navigate through it without their putting any type of an artificial, really, limit on something.”