Photo Courtesy: Joe Lorenzini
By Lew Patton
Rangers left-hander Matt Harrison underwent lumbar disc fusion surgery last June, appearing in only four games during the 2014 season. He had been making steady progress this fall and winter in his recovery from the career-threatening lower-back procedure, but here comes the first bump in the road …
Stefan Stevenson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Harrison has put off moving his throwing program from 90 feet to out 105 feet because he is experiencing tightness in his right hip. The hope is that it’s merely a mechanical issue and that he’ll be caught up in a few weeks.
“Being able to rotate and being able to square back up when I throw the ball,” Harrison told the Star-Telegram on Saturday about the hip discomfort. “Kind of cutting stuff off [in my delivery] because I wasn’t able to to rotate like I want to. So that’s one thing we’ve been really working on is getting that hip loose.”
Harrison signed a five-year, $55 million contract extension with the Rangers before the 2013 season and is still owed $41.6 million. He posted a 3.34 ERA (132 ERA+) in 399 innings between 2011-2012.
