BRADENTON, Fla. – Gregory Polanco felt some trepidation.
He grabbed a bat and took some swings Monday as the Pirates opened their minicamp at Pirate City. Granted, he was only hitting off a tee, but it still marked his first swings since the ill-fated night of Sept. 7, when he tore the labrum in his left shoulder while making an awkward slide/dive into second base legging out a double against the Marlins at PNC Park.
During his first three cuts, Polanco was hesitant. He was not sure how the shoulder would react after undergoing extensive surgery in October that will likely cause him to start the upcoming season on the disabled list.
However, on the fourth swing, the fear disappeared. The shoulder felt as good as new.
“I was surprised,” Polanco said afterward with a big smile. “The first time I swung, I felt nothing. I have some fatigue because I haven’t been swinging in a long time. But there was no tightness, no soreness. The first three swings I was careful then I swung like normal. I feel great.”
The hitting session went so well that Polanco could take another major step in his rehab Tuesday by throwing for the first time since the surgery.
“They want to see how I feel,” Polanco said of the Pirates’ medical staff. “They want to make sure I feel comfortable.”
The timetable for Polanco’s return remains anytime from mid-April until mid-June. The Pirates signed veteran outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall as a free agent in November to fill the void in right field until Polanco is ready.
Polanco, though, is encouraged by the pace of his rehab.
“I didn’t think by this time I would already feel this good,” he said. “I feel great. I have made a lot of progress.”
However, there also is a fine line between feeling good and unnecessarily trying to speed up the rehab process. Ideally, Polanco would beat the timetable and be in the lineup March 28 when the Pirates open the season at Cincinnati.
But …
“I’ve got to trust the trainers,” the 27-year-old said. “I’ve never been through anything like this before, but they have. They know what it takes for me to get better.
“I can’t rush this because the last thing I want to do is come back too soon and get hurt. I don’t want that for anybody, not just myself but my team and my teammates. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone if I came back too soon.”
The Pirates won’t rush Polanco back, either. He is too valuable of a commodity with three years and $26.3 million remaining on his five-year, $35-million contract along with club options for 2022 and 2023.
Polanco also seemed to be gaining some long-sought consistency last season in his fifth year in the major leagues. He batted .254/.340/.499 with a career-best 22 home runs.
His OPS+ of 128 was also the best mark of his career. That figure means he was 28 percent better than league average as a hitter when such factors as home ballpark are included.
Polanco has watched plenty of video of his hitting to keep mentally sharp. Bothered by hamstring problems at various times during his career, he has also been able to keep his legs in tip-top shape while rehabbing the shoulder.
“My lower body feels great,” Polanco said. “That’s something I took advantage of. The stronger my legs are, the less swinging I do with my upper body. I am in more control and my hands and everything in my swing works better when my legs are strong.”