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Catcher resumes hitting and throwing as he recovers from right elbow surgery
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Thursday, Aug 07, 2008
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.: It was a big day for Indians catcher Victor Martinez.
He took batting practice and threw to second base (bouncing most of the throws) Wednesday morning at Tropicana Field. Apparently, his standards for excitement and achievement are not very high.
Then again, he has been waiting eight weeks to do those simple tasks after undergoing surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow.
''I felt great,'' Martinez said. ''It's been a long time since my elbow felt like this.''
The pain and the inability to extend his arm finally forced him to seek a solution on the operating table. Both Martinez and the Indians were hoping that he could make it through the season before resorting to surgery, but it didn't happen.
''I actually felt it two or three years ago,'' Martinez said. ''It would swell up, but then it would go back to normal. Maybe it would happen once in a season. But this year, it would swell up and not go down.''
Martinez made sure he wouldn't forget his first surgical procedure. He kept the bone chips.
''One of them is this big,'' he said, holding out his hand and pointing to a fingernail.
Players on the disabled list usually do their work in the morning then leave. They have little desire to be around their teammates, because injured players tend to regard themselves as useless appendages of the team.
But in recent weeks, manager Eric Wedge urged Martinez to stay and watch games from the bench.
''I don't like to sit on the bench and watch,'' Martinez said. ''It's kind of hard to do, but it is helping me get ready to come back. So it was a good idea, being close to the guys and watching the pitchers.''
The timetable for Martinez's return to the active roster remains uncertain. He will continue to take batting practice and throw to bases the rest of the week and probably go on a rehabilitation assignment next week.
''When he does go out, he will catch and DH,'' Wedge said, emphasizing that Martinez will not be rushed back into full-time catching. ''When he comes back, that's what he'll do here, too. And maybe he'll play a little first base.''
Martinez is resigned to the fact that he must go ''step by step'' in his recovery.
''It's almost like spring training for Victor, getting everything to fire like he needs it to,'' Wedge said. ''We don't expect him to be all the way back when we send him out, but he needs to be closer than he is right now.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA.: It was a big day for Indians catcher Victor Martinez.
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