Phils Injuries: Herndon has Tommy John surgery
It was quite an eventful day at Citizens Bank Park before the Phillies even began their three-game series with the Rockies. The bombshell was Freddy Galvis’ 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance
(see story).
Three of the Phils' top draft picks -- pitchers Shane Watson and Mitch Gueller and outfielder Andrew Pullin -- were also introduced and spent time meeting current Phillies during batting practice.
And then came a wave of injury news – some positive, some negative, some devastating.
First, the bad news…
David Herndon The Phillies righthanded reliever underwent Tommy John surgery Tuesday after meeting with Dr. James Andrews on Monday.
The recovery timetable from the ligament reconstruction operation can be 12-to-14 months.
Herndon pitched in only five games this season before hitting the DL with right elbow inflammation.
Michael Stutes A late-inning revelation last season, Amaro said the 25-year-old Stutes hasn’t progressed from a shoulder injury the way the Phillies would have liked.
He may need to have exploratory surgery. Amaro said that Drs. Lewis Yocum, David Altcheck and team physician Dr. Michael Cicotti will get together to decide the next course of action for Stutes, who hasn’t pitched since April 21.
Laynce NixThe Phils’ lefty power hitter had been recovering well from a calf injury that has kept him out since May 9, but he suffered what Amaro described as a “little bit of a setback” Monday.
“Running the bases, he felt a little bit of a pull or tug,” Amaro said. “We’re going to do another MRI on him to see if there is any residual damage. He was going pretty good, too. These things happen.”
Now, for the good news…
Roy Halladay
The Phillies’ ace, in what Amaro described as “a great piece of news,” is symptom-free in his throwing program. Amaro wouldn’t put a timetable on his return but Halladay is progressing on schedule from a lat strain.
Chase Utley Amaro said there is a possibility Utley could return before July 2, the final day of his 20-day minor league rehab timetable.
“He’s progressing well,” Amaro said of Utley. “I think he’s going to DH tonight, he’s going to go back and forth between DHing and playing second base. But he came out of last night’s game pretty well, he played six innings [at second base for Clearwater], that’s a good sign.”
When asked if Utley would see any time at first base in Clearwater, Amaro answered “probably not.”
Ryan Howard “Howard made a diving play at first base in a simulated game yesterday, that’s a good sign,” Amaro said of the Phillies’ first baseman who has missed the entire season recovering from an Achilles' rupture. “He’s starting to run some bases. Hopefully we get him in a rehab game in the next couple weeks. That’s also a good sign.”
Amaro said that as of now, the plan is to have Utley and Howard spend all of their rehab time in Clearwater.
Justin De Fratus The Phillies’ other ailing young righty reliever has taken a positive step in his recovery from a flexor pronator strain in his elbow.
“[De Fratus] is going to pitch off of a mound Thursday, his first time pitching off a mound,” Amaro said. “He’s been feeling great. Hopefully we can keep him going in the streamline.”
De Fratus pitched in just five games last season, but was extremely impressive for Reading and Lehigh Valley, where he pitched to a combined 2.99 ERA in 51 appearances and struck out 11.8 batters per nine innings.
E-mail Corey Seidman at cseidman@comcastsportsnet.com
