D-backs injury update: Patrick Corbin's return in sight
PHOENIX -- Diamondbacks pitcher Patrick Corbin's return from Tommy John surgery is in sight. Arizona manager Chip Hale said Corbin will make one more rehab start in the minors before returning as starter during a two-game series on July 7-8 at Texas.
Corbin last pitched Friday for Double-A Mobile, when he went six innings and allowed four hits and two earned runs. He threw 79 pitches, 50 for strikes. Hale watched the video and said after a rain delay led into a difficult first inning, the left-hander looked good.
"He said once he settled in, it's as good as he's felt. That's as confident as I've heard him talk about his outings," Hale said. "We're going to pitch him, get him again the five days in between, so it'll be on the sixth day, and then he'll come pitch for us five days after that."
By that time frame, Corbin would be back for the July 7 game, but with off days on both sides of the series against the Rangers, there is some flexibility.
Hale said the D-backs aren't looking at a six-man rotation at this point, needing all the bullpen help that roster space will allow.
The team will treat Corbin's return with caution by attempting to hold him below 100 pitches per game and scheduling him around off-days, if possible. He could also be skipped in the order.
The Diamondbacks expect rough spots for Corbin upon his return, and Hale has repeatedly cautioned that they are targeting the 2016 season for the former All-Star to get back to his pre-injury self.
"You can't expect him to come back looking like he did when he got hurt," Hale said.
Right-hander Archie Bradley, on the 15-day disabled list, will visit Dr. James Andrews in Alabama on Wednesday to receive a second opinion on his right shoulder. Concerns arose Wednesday when the pitcher experienced continued pain in his throwing shoulder. He was sent home after a rehab start for evaluation from team doctors in Phoenix.
Injured outfielder Ender Inciarte went through hitting drills and was set to go through a running workout Monday. Hale hopes that Inciarte, out with a strained right hamstring and placed on the 15-day disabled list June 15, can return next week, before the All-Star break begins July 13.
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