Results tagged ‘ Chris Capuano ’
Capuano to start Thurs.; Rogers OK after scare
Former All-Star left-hander Chris Capuano moved back to within one step of the big leagues on Tuesday, when the Brewers, as expected, promoted him from Class A Brevard County to Triple-A Nashville. Capuano is attempting a comeback from the second Tommy John surgery of his career.
He is scheduled to start for the Sounds on Thursday against Tacoma, Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash said. That is supposed to be Chase Wright’s day to pitch, but Ash was not ready to say how the rest of the rotation would be impacted by Capuano’s arrival.
In three starts at Brevard County, Capuano was 2-0 with a 1.23 ERA and 17 strikeouts versus zero walks.
“The concern there wasn’t the numbers, it was can he handle the physicality of pitching?” Ash said. “He’s ready for the challenge of getting more advanced hitters out.”
Capuano has not pitched in the Majors since 2007. He re-injured his surgically-repaired left elbow during 2008 Spring Training and underwent his second ligament replacement surgery that May. The list of pitchers to successfully return to the big leagues from multiple Tommy John surgeries is short, but it includes former Brewers reliever Chad Fox.
Capuano will be replaced at Brevard County beginning Tuesday night by fellow Major Leaguer David Riske, who is a bit more than 11 months removed from his own Tommy John surgery.
In other Minor League pitching news, former first-round Draft pick Mark Rogers was scheduled to start for Double-A Huntsville on Tuesday. He was scratched from a start on Saturday after being struck in his right elbow by a line drive during batting practice.
“He hasn’t missed a full turn, he was just a little delayed,” Ash said.
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On to Nashville for Capuano?
Rehabbing left-hander Chris Capuano pitched another solid Class A game on Friday night, when he worked five innings for Brevard County against Tampa and allowed one run on six hits for the win. He struck out five batters versus no walks, giving him 17 strikeouts and no walks in his three starts for the Manatees.
Brewers GM Doug Melvin mentioned earlier in the week that Capuano may be bound for Triple-A Nashville after Friday’s start in Florida. I’m working to gather some information about the plan for Capuano, who is making a comeback from the second Tommy John surgery of his career.
For now, Capunao is still officially listed on the Brevard County roster.
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Capuano's season debut a success
Chris Capuano pitched five scoreless innings in his season debut and notched the win in Class A Brevard County’s 3-0 shutout of Clearwater on Tuesday night. He allowed three hits and struck out five without walking a batter.
Capuano is trying a comeback from the second Tommy John surgery of his career.
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Capuano to start Tuesday at Brevard
Former All-Star left-hander Chris Capuano has been added to the roster at Class A Brevard County and is scheduled to make his first start of the season on Tuesday night against Clearwater, according to Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash.
Capuano is attempting to make it back to the Major Leagues following a second Tommy John elbow reconstructive surgery. He had his first in 2002 while he was an Arizona D-backs farmhand, then had another in May 2008 with the Brewers.
He has not pitched in the Majors since 2007 but did pitch in six Minor League games at the end of last season. Capuano was an early bright spot in big league camp this spring before a setback forced him to start from scratch.
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Capuano close to a comeback
Look for an “inbox” to appear on Brewers.com later today with some of your questions about the first two weeks of the season. Topics include the team’s early-season pitching struggles, Carlos Gomez and Triple-A infielder Adam Heether, plus some injury updates.
I thought I would preview that final topic because it involves left-hander Chris Capuano, a player many of you have been following as he attempts to return from his second Tommy John surgery:
On an off day, it might be good to update us Brewer fans about some injuries. How far away are Chris Capuano and David Riske from coming back? How about in the Minors with Adam Stern, Brendan Katin and Mat Gamel all on the disabled list? Just wanted to get an idea on timetable and how far the guys are in their rehab or how serious the injuries are.
– Jordan K., no hometown
Thanks to Brewers assistant general manager Gord Ash for some answers to Jordan’s e-mail. The main bit of news from Gord is that the left-hander Capuano, who had a bit of a Spring Training setback in his return from Tommy John elbow surgery, is “close” to returning to game action and could be activated before the end of this week. The team would then have to decide where to send Capuano to pitch, with warm-weather Brevard County, Fla. (home of the organization’s advanced Class A affiliate) one strong contender. Capuano looked extremely sharp before his setback, so let’s not count him out to help the big club just yet.
Riske is also coming back from Tommy John surgery but remains well behind Capuano. According to Ash, Riske is on track to begin a 30-day rehabilitation assignment around the end of April.
Stern (rib-cage strain) is about two weeks away from returning to action and Gamel (shoulder) is still about a month away, according to Ash. Gamel might have made the Brewers’ Opening Day roster if he had not suffered a slightly torn muscle behind his right — throwing — shoulder.
The Brewers are still evaluating Katin, Ash said. The outfielder was off to a tremendously hot start for Triple-A Nashville (four homers and nine RBIs in nine games) before he suffered a foot injury on Friday. It’s too early to know how much time he will miss, according to the team.
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'Great' bullpen session for Hawkins
Brewers reliever LaTroy Hawkins tested his right shoulder in the bullpen on Saturday and said there’s no reason to fret about his availability for Opening Day.
Hawkins has not pitched in a Cactus League game since March 11, when he developed what he called “tightness” behind his shoulder. Saturday’s 30-pitch session marked his first mound work since then, and Hawkins needed only one word to describe how it went:
“Great,” he said. “That’s all you need to write: Great.”
A few years ago, Hawkins might not have been so chipper. Saturday, after all, was only two weeks and two days shy of the Brewers’ April 5 season opener against the Rockies, and the last place Hawkins would want to begin his tenure with the team is on the disabled list. He signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with Milwaukee at the Winter Meetings to serve as a setup man to closer Trevor Hoffman.
Two weeks, Hawkins insisted, is plenty of time to get ready. He learned that last year when he had to prepare quickly to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
“That’s the only reason I didn’t panic this time,” he said, “because I had the experience with the WBC and had no problems. I think I threw about seven games and that was it. So if I can do that here, I’ll be fine.”
Hawkins is aiming to return to game action on Monday, when the Brewers host the Dodgers. But he said he would have to confer with pitching coach Rick Peterson and the team’s athletic training staff before making a decision.
Fellow reliever Davis Riske also threw a bullpen on Saturday as he continues his road back from Tommy John surgery. Left-hander Chris Capuano was originally slated for a bullpen, too, but at Peterson’s suggestion he instead played long toss. Capuano, who has trying to return from a second Tommy John surgery, should return to the mound within a few days.
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Setback for Capuano
Brewers left-hander Chris Capuano, attempting the difficult comeback from his second Tommy John reconstructive surgery, has been shut down with inflammation in his elbow, manager Ken Macha said Tuesday morning.
Capuano last pitched on March 11 against the Reds, when he surrendered two runs on three hits including a Joey Votto home run. He has tried playing catch since then, but Brewers head athletic trainer Roger Caplinger decided the best course of action was to cease throwing until the inflammation subsides.
“It’s a setback for him,” Macha said. “He’s not going to quit. He’s going to keep going after it.”
Macha spoke with Capuano on Tuesday morning. He said Capuano had also spoken with some other players who have overcome injury and been offered encouragement.
“The outings he has had, he has thrown the ball well enough to get Major League hitters out,” Macha said. “I don’t want to get Biblical, but I kind of mentioned to him that in order to get to the promised land you have to get through the desert. He’s been in the desert a long time.
“He can still get there. He certainly has the desire to do that. That’s one person I have a lot of admiration for, what he’s done.”
Capuano, 31, had his first elbow reconstruction in 2002 when he was a Diamondbacks prospect and made his Major League debut a year to the day after surgery. He was traded to Milwaukee in the December 2003 Richie Sexson trade and won 18 games for the Brewers in 2005 and made the National League All-Star team in 2006. On March 17, 2008, pitching a Spring Training game against the Mariners, Capuano re-injured his elbow and succumbed two months later to another surgery.
The list of pitchers who have made it back to the Majors after multiple Tommy John surgeries is short, but it can be done. Reliever Chad Fox, a former Brewer, had three such procedures before calling it a career.
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Successful debut for Capuano
In his first big league game in two years, Chris Capuano worked a scoreless fifth inning in Saturday’s Brewers-Giants game at Maryvale Baseball Park. He struck out the first two hitters he faced, surrendered a double to Andres Torres and then retired Fred Lewis with help from center fielder Jim Edmonds, who tracked down a long fly ball and made the catch just before crashing into the wall.
Capuano went out for a second inning of work and stranded a pair of Giants baserunners.
“I’m happy for him because that’s a long, long road,” said Randy Wolf, who had Tommy John surgery in 2005. “Whenever you see a guy who works hard and wants to get back there … he’s one of those guys you root for. I had one Tommy John and I know how long of a road it is. To do it twice is really tough.”
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Capuano, Loe, Narveson raising eyebrows
Chris Capuano was pleased with his throwing session on Tuesday, his first action in big league camp since he suffered an elbow injury nearly two years ago. His manager was pleased, too.
“One of the impressive things is that he threw change-ups, and his arm action on the change-up was very good,” Ken Macha said Wednesday morning. “I kind of liked what I saw there.”
Macha said he’s also been impressed by big right-hander Kameron Loe. Pitching coach Rick Peterson told Macha he liked what he’s seen from lefty Chris Narveson.
“Last year we were kind of looking for people to fill the spots,” Macha said. “We’ve got tremendous competition for the spots this year. We’ve got a tremendous amount of depth in this camp.”
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Rehabbing right-hander Mark DiFelice stopped by the field Wednesday morning as the big league campers stretched. He’s sidelined following shoulder surgery and said he is probably a month away from beginning a throwing program.
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Catcher Gregg Zaun returned to action on Wednesday after sitting out Tuesday with a stomach ailment.
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Capuano: 'Arm not even a thought'
For the first time in 709 days, former Brewers All-Star left-hander Chris Capuano was just one of the guys on Tuesday.
Capuano, attempting a comeback from his second career Tommy John surgery, was among the Brewers pitchers who threw off a mound on Day 2 of formal workouts at Maryvale Baseball Park. Capuano threw a full arsenal of pitches — fastball, slider, change-up — in his first action with fellow Major Leaguers since March 17, 2008, when he re-injured his left elbow in a Cactus League game against the Mariners.
“Finally, for the first time in a while I really feel healthy,” Capuano said after his 45-pitch session. “My arm is not even a thought. It’s fun to just go out there and play.”
Capuano is operating without any restrictions this spring after finishing last season with a pair of rookie league affiliates. For the second straight year, the 2006 All-Star and 2005 18-game winner is in Brewers camp on a Minor League contract.
Brewers manager Ken Macha, who joined the team last season while Capuano was still on a strict rehabilitation program, was particularly looking forward to Tuesday’s session.
“I have to give this guy some credit with the amount of work he’s put in to get to this particular point,” Macha said. “Not just that, talking about him with Doug [Melvin, Milwaukee's general manager] and Gord [Ash], the assistant GM, this guy is a pretty established Major League pitcher. … I think he’s got a particular passion for the game and he’s going to play it all out. Good for him.”
Capuano is not considered a candidate for the Opening Day roster because he pitched in just six low-level Minor League games last season. He probably will need some extensive time in the Minors this season to prove he’s healthy.
But player and manager both are holding out hope that Capuano could help the big league club in the future. For now, the idea is to stretch Capuano’s arm as a starter.
“It would be nice to strike some gold from somebody,” Macha said.
Said Capuano: “I look around and see a lot of pitchers and a lot of lefties, and I know the competition is going to be steep. But it’s important to have a good spring and show them that I’m in top form so that even if they don’t bring me up right away it could happen at some point later. … In my experience, if I’ve earned it, I’ve usually gotten it. Hopefully, if I do well I can earn my spot.
“People have been asking me, ‘After two years, does it feel strange?’ And the honest answer is that it does not. Maybe it’s because of all the familiar faces, guys like Doug Davis and Claudio Vargas, it feels surprisingly normal.”
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Adam McCalvy
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