Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier participated in on-field batting practice at Dodger Stadium a few hours prior to first pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday. It was the first time since Ethier sustained a fractured right tibia he partook in live BP.
That he checked off another box in his recovery is encouraging, but not necessarily indicative of how quickly Ethier may return. “We’re just taking leaps right now,” Ethier said. “If we continue to take big leaps, feel good and stay strong through them, that’s the right direction.”
Ethier remains confident, if not hopeful, that he’ll see the field this season. “That’s why I’m still working, coming in here everyday and doing my stuff. I’m trying to keep that mental edge and focus on coming back and playing,” he said.
“I’ve done basically two offseasons and Spring Trainings in a matter of seven months.” Encouraged by recent strides Ethier made earlier this month, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts set Aug. 2 as a target date for the veteran outfielder to return.
However, a follow-up bone scan revealed the fractured tibia had yet to fully heal, and a timeline hasn’t been set. Roberts added Ethier would increase his level of activity to how much pain he could endure.
That sentiment remains true. “The key part of that is how my body reacts immediately afterwards. Before, when I’d have those pains and flare-ups, they would last a day or couple of days,” Ethier said. “Now they’re lasting maybe minutes, which is a good sign everything is responding the right way.
Although discomfort is subsiding at a quicker rate, Ethier will never go pain-free due to the trauma and nerve damage sustained at the point of impact. “There’s going to be residual pain even if it’s 100 percent healed and the fracture is put together the proper way,” he explained.
Ethier isn’t yet running curves and estimated he’s jogging at 50 percent up to 90 feet. He’s also doing work with a harness that creates resistance. While the number of days remaining in the season continue to tick away, Ethier is mindful of avoiding another setback.
“There’s playing for the right reasons, and there’s playing to be dumb. We don’t want to get to a position where I come back, re-injure and have to undergo surgery to correct it,” he said. “I don’t want this 12 weeks of rehab to go to waste.”
Although the 10-to-14 week timetable has long since passed, Ethier is comfortable with the decision that was made to not undergo surgery. “I think the decision to go the route we’re going was, it was a non-displaced fracture,” he said.
“There wasn’t anything jagged, so let’s not force a foreign object in there.” Whenever Ethier returns to play it will be with a custom-built leg protector that features high-density foam. Ethier has yet to foul any balls off his new guard but said he’s thrown baseballs at it. He expects to add a second layer to the already superhero-looking sleeve.
