IS LAMENTING OVER THE LATISSIMUS
A doctor told Placido Polanco he should start feeling better Tuesday. The Phillies third baseman, out since June 25 with left triceps tendinitis, is starting to believe.
“I don't know if you've ever been hurt,” he said Wednesday, “but there’s one day when you feel like you turn the corner. You feel like, ‘Wow.’ Yesterday was that day.”
It’s an encouraging sign for the Phillies, who are down both Polanco and Chase Utley in the infield. Polanco is expected to resume baseball activities Saturday after two full weeks of rest. He could play in some rehab games during the All-Star break.
And if all goes well, Polanco said, returning for the series in St. Louis that begins July 19 is a realistic possibility.
“I feel pretty good,” Polanco said.
After taking two cortisone shots in the left elbow in less than a month, the Phillies and Polanco decided he needed to stop playing through it.
Rest is also a way to avoid possible surgery, Polanco said. He hasn’t done any upper body work yet to comply with the two weeks of rest. His rehab has mostly consisted of running and constant icing and compression on the elbow.
“I don't want to rush it,” Polanco said. “Before, I wasn't 100 percent. I just kept playing, playing and playing.”
Read more in Thursday's Inquirer.
Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb team up for their third straight season covering the Phillies for the Inquirer and philly.com.
This is Brookover’s second stint writing about the Phillies, having joined the coverage team after seven years as an Eagles beat writer. Brookover was hired by The Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after spending 13 years writing about the team for two suburban newspapers. While on the Eagles beat, Brookover, who had covered just two winning Phillies teams in 15 seasons, saw the Phillies move into a cash-cow new ballpark and begin playing a brand of the game he found unrecognizable. Follow him on Twitter here.
Gelb is in his third season covering the Phillies. He was hired by The Inquirer in August 2009 after graduating from Syracuse University. He has also covered baseball at The Star-Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Born and raised in Bucks County, he attended Central Bucks High School West. Follow him on Twitter here.
To submit a question for Matt Gelb's Phillies mailbag, click here.
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