"Today was a good starting point," said Cincinnati Reds starting catcher, who used a custom-fitted protective sleeve on his broken thumb Monday.
LOS ANGELES – Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson took a small step on Aug. 25 toward returning from a fracture at the tip of his left thumb.
A few days after being custom-fitted for a protective sleeve by a hand specialist, Stephenson played light catch and blocked softer plastic balls shot into the dirt by a pitching machine.
“Felt good,” said Stephenson, who also took some light batting practice in the cage before the Reds’ series opener at Dodger Stadium. “It doesn’t hurt at all. But I haven’t really done anything.
“Today was a good starting point.”
The Reds starting catcher, who hurt the thumb on a pitch from Hunter Greene Aug. 13, expects to add to his volume of work over the next week in small increments until he feels ready to test it with more vigorous throws.
His timeline for a return is fluid at best and very susceptible to a setback if he bangs the injured area awkwardly.
Manager Terry Francona said the doctors initially called it potentially a two-to-four-week injury that probably skewed on the higher end because of his position. Stephenson said the specialist said barring setback he might be ready to return in “10 to 14 days.”
The Reds return home after the Dodgers series to face the Cardinals, with 28 games left in the season.
“The way the trainers explained it to me was there’s 100 ways to set him back and there’s really only one good way to get him better,” Francona said, “and that’s to give him time.”
A lot of it might be a function of what Stephenson can tolerate.
“Nobody’s going to try to slow him down,” Francona said. “We just want to do what’s right.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds Tyler Stephenson: 'Good' workout with injured thumb
Category: Baseball
