Zack Greinke will make his first rehab start since breaking his left collarbone tonight for Rancho Cucamonga in Lake Elsinore. (As you’ve probably heard, Scott Elbert will make his debut in that game as well, recovering from two elbow surgeries.)
That’s just under four weeks since he had surgery, and we’re already hearing rumblings that if tonight goes well, he may only need one rehab start and could be in line to start on Wednesday against the Nationals. That puts him on the same timeline as Matt Magill, which could make tonight’s Magill start against Miami the last we see of him for a while — and as much as I like Magill, that would be a very good thing.
Considering that the original diagnosis for Greinke was around eight weeks, or mid-to-late June, this would be a phenomenally quick recovery. Is it too soon? I don’t know, and neither do you; we aren’t doctors and don’t know the specifics of his health. We’ve heard that he’s already thrown two bullpen sessions of 60 pitches where he’s reached 90 MPH, and that all sounds great.
My hope, however, is that he’s nearly ready to come back because he’s nearly ready, and not because the team has lost seven games in a row. We’ve seen that be attempted and fail far too many times — looking at you, Matt Kemp from last year — and it’s the last thing this club needs.
As noted in an MLB.com story on the subject…
“I feel more than you would with a normal arm, but not anything major,” said Greinke, whose start on Friday would come at Lake Elsinore.
I’m cautiously optimistic, and I’m not trying to be the voice of negativity. But I also know that if there’s anything that could go wrong with the 2013 Dodgers, it will. Here’s to hoping Greinke is ready because he’s ready, and nothing more than that.





