Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby is hopeful an injection and rehab will allow him to return by mid-May
PHOENIX – Not being able to throw at the start of spring training is a tough situation for any pitcher.
But Milwaukee Brewers left-hander Aaron Ashby is trying to look at the bright side while being sidelined with what the team has described as inflammation in his throwing shoulder.
"Obviously, I would like to be pitching (March 30) when the season starts. There’s disappointment that comes along with it," Ashby said Tuesday. "The organization and (pitching coach Chris Hook) have been great and super supportive and are trying to keep the spirits up.
"It’ll be exciting once I start throwing and kind of get off the mound and I see the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s part of this process, is just trying to keep your spirits up and stay as positive as you can."
For the first time since being shut down, Ashby provided a timeline and details about what happened.
"I was here all offseason working out and started doing this weighted-ball program," he said. "Didn’t feel great and then started playing catch about a week and a half later, and never quite got where I wanted to be. It never really felt great and so it was a process of rehabbing and throwing, which helped in 2019 when I had a shoulder impingement.
"It just never got to where we needed it to be. It got to be time to make a decision, so we went with a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection. It’s about a six-week rehab process to start throwing again, and just the building-up process and how long that takes."
First chance to catch up with Aaron Ashby. He’s had a PRP injection, called his issue a “slight labral tear” and is hopeful he can return by mid-May: pic.twitter.com/uOcQbBJv3a
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) February 21, 2023
Ashby said he received the PRP injection around the beginning of February, which would mean he won't be able to start throwing again until probably sometime toward the end of camp barring any setbacks.
Ashby also provided additional information about the injury itself.
"It’s a shoulder impingement, labral tear," he said. "That sounds really bad but everyone has these; it’s just kind of how it affects you. And in my throwing motion, it doesn’t feel great. It’s a really small tear. Then it’s the rehab process and retraining that muscle and working the proper way."
The 24-year-old, who signed a $20.5 million contract extension last July, had been expected to battle for the final rotation spot along with Wade Miley and Adrian Houser this spring.
While he suffered through a tough sophomore season in 2022 – he finished 2-10 with a 4.44 earned run average and WHIP of 1.43 – his strikeout stuff and ability to generate a high percentage of ground balls made him someone the Brewers were counting on for a big bounceback.
Perhaps that bounceback will eventually come in the bullpen, which figures to be fluid and light on lefties.
More:Brewers add depth by signing veterans Luke Voit and Tyler Naquin to minor-league deals
"I just think this gives him a chance to kind of step back just a little bit, just get everything really right," Hook said at the outset of camp. "I told him ... I can't imagine having an impact player like him come in whenever he comes back. I mean, the shot in the arm that Ashby is gonna give us, I think I'm looking at this as a positive.
"Having Aaron Ashby pop into wherever he's gonna pop in, that's a big add. I'm excited for that when it happens."
If Ashby has his way, that'll be at the start of or in the midst of a six-game road trip to St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
"My hope is kind of middle of May," he said. "That puts us right at the 12-week mark for what the rehab process calls for."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brewers' Aaron Ashby hopes to heal shoulder and pitch by mid-May
