To the surprise of many, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ largest contract doled out over the 2014 winter was signing Brandon McCarthy to a four-year, $48 million deal. McCarthy went 3-0 with a 5.87 ERA in four starts with the team before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery.
His injury led to immediate backlash and criticism of the new Dodgers front office, led by president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, as McCarthy was labeled an injury-prone pitcher.
However, the elbow reconstructive surgery was the first issue the right-hander has experienced with his elbow. In 2012 with the Oakland Athletics, McCarthy was struck by a line drive and suffered a skull fracture, epidural hemorrhage and a brain contusion.
The 32 year old has thrown multiple bullpen sessions during Spring Training and hopes to return from his latest injury prior to the 2016 All-Star Game.
According to ESPN’s Doug Padilla, McCarthy, now almost a year into his recovery, said recently he’s benefitted from being able to discuss the rehab process with others:
“There are a lot of people to talk to, where there is not a lot of unchartered territory here. It does help some that you can at least reach out to people where they can tell you, ‘No you’re not crazy. This is just how it is.'”
Of particular aid to McCarthy has been Brett Anderson, who signed during the same offseason:
“Us being friends, if he comes in one day and he feels something that he thinks is abnormal, he might ask if I went through the same thing and I can tell him what I did or didn’t do,” Anderson said. “He can kind of lean on me that way. It always helps to have somebody who’s gone through it.”
Anderson’s laundry list of injuries includes a Tommy John surgery in 2011. He underwent a second back surgery last week for a bulging disk and is expected to miss the next three to five months.
Once signed to complete the Dodgers’ starting rotation, Anderson and McCarthy may now be crucial pitching depth once they manage to recovery from their respective operations.
