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CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs are not going to rush Mark Prior back, and even acknowledged Friday that it is possible Prior could miss the entire season.
Prior, who has been nursing injuries to his right Achilles tendon and to his right elbow, threw about 35 pitches on Friday, doubling the number of throws from his first mound session Wednesday.
And while pitching coach Larry Rothschild was encouraged by Prior's latest outing, he told the Chicago Tribune that a "chain reaction" could occur if Prior resumed pitching before he was totally pain free. The Cubs have said they hope to have their 23-year-old star back by early to mid-May, but they certainly don't know for sure when Prior will return.
"No, it's not even close," Rothschild told the Chicago Tribune. "Even if I could, I wouldn't [speculate when he might return] until he has been on the mound and is just about ready to face hitters."
Manager Dusty Baker even addressed the possibility of Prior not pitching in a game this season.
"Now, can we win without him over the course of the whole year? Yes, we can," Baker told the newspaper. "But the job will be a lot more difficult."
Prior will probably throw off a mound again Sunday or Monday as the Cubs continue to monitor his progress.
"As he feels better and better, he'll do more and more," Rothschild told the paper. "It's more important to see how he feels after today. He has to be pain free, both in his arm and his Achilles.
"We have to make sure both issues are covered, because we don't want a chain reaction to happen. That's what we're guarding against."
"I wasn't airing it out," Prior said. "I'm just trying to find the release point, trying to find my mechanics right now. It didn't hurt today. Hopefully it doesn't hurt tomorrow."
Prior has only thrown fastballs, and he said his body will be tested more when he starts throwing curveballs and breaking balls.
"I'll hopefully start moving in that direction Sunday, Monday, see how I respond to that and then go from there," he said.
"He has to get his delivery where it needs to be and not put undue stress on the shoulder or arm," Rothschild told The Tribune. "As we go forward and his velocity increases, this is what we'll have to watch."
Prior said that the Achilles injury was actually more his ankle. Bone scans showed problems in the ankle, and pain from that transferred to his Achilles, causing some inflammation.
Prior was 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA and helped the Cubs reach the NL championship
yeah, im crying
Prior, who has been nursing injuries to his right Achilles tendon and to his right elbow, threw about 35 pitches on Friday, doubling the number of throws from his first mound session Wednesday.
And while pitching coach Larry Rothschild was encouraged by Prior's latest outing, he told the Chicago Tribune that a "chain reaction" could occur if Prior resumed pitching before he was totally pain free. The Cubs have said they hope to have their 23-year-old star back by early to mid-May, but they certainly don't know for sure when Prior will return.
"No, it's not even close," Rothschild told the Chicago Tribune. "Even if I could, I wouldn't [speculate when he might return] until he has been on the mound and is just about ready to face hitters."
Manager Dusty Baker even addressed the possibility of Prior not pitching in a game this season.
"Now, can we win without him over the course of the whole year? Yes, we can," Baker told the newspaper. "But the job will be a lot more difficult."
Prior will probably throw off a mound again Sunday or Monday as the Cubs continue to monitor his progress.
"As he feels better and better, he'll do more and more," Rothschild told the paper. "It's more important to see how he feels after today. He has to be pain free, both in his arm and his Achilles.
"We have to make sure both issues are covered, because we don't want a chain reaction to happen. That's what we're guarding against."
"I wasn't airing it out," Prior said. "I'm just trying to find the release point, trying to find my mechanics right now. It didn't hurt today. Hopefully it doesn't hurt tomorrow."
Prior has only thrown fastballs, and he said his body will be tested more when he starts throwing curveballs and breaking balls.
"I'll hopefully start moving in that direction Sunday, Monday, see how I respond to that and then go from there," he said.
"He has to get his delivery where it needs to be and not put undue stress on the shoulder or arm," Rothschild told The Tribune. "As we go forward and his velocity increases, this is what we'll have to watch."
Prior said that the Achilles injury was actually more his ankle. Bone scans showed problems in the ankle, and pain from that transferred to his Achilles, causing some inflammation.
Prior was 18-6 with a 2.43 ERA and helped the Cubs reach the NL championship
yeah, im crying
