Recap: Derek Holland rehabs in Frisco

Tonight was the first time this season that Texas Rangers left-handed pitcher Derek Holland has been on the mound.  He’s been working hard since he’s had surgery to return as quickly as possible to help his team.  But, due to the rash of injuries that have caused the Rangers to perform poorly and him not recovering as quickly has expected he is just now pitching again.

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Derek Holland got the start for the Texas Rangers double-A team the Frisco Rough Riders.  He was set to a strict limit of 2 innings to night to allow him to slowly build back up his pitch count and ensure his knee has plenty of strength.   The main reason it has taken so long to get him back on the mound was the medical staff has been worried that his knee wasn’t quite ready.

The work he’s done to get back on the mound during his rehab was evident.  He recorded 4 strikeouts, no earned runs and walked 2 of the 8 batters he faced.   His fastball clocked in at 92 to 94 MPH, his slider was in the around 84 MPH and he mixed in a curveball that came in at 77 MPH.   That’s all good news and appears his arm is game ready.  He just needs to ensure his knee is ready and he is able to field the ball well.

His pitch totals for the night was 33 pitches of which 21 were strikes.  The Rangers staff was on hand to watch him and to assess where he is with his rehab.

I would expect him to get several more starts with the Rough Riders to allow his pitch count to near 100.  That would likely put Derek Holland returning late August with the Texas Rangers