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Almost there. First day back catching went great. pic.twitter.com/V8jpkzbY5V
— Tim Federowicz (@FedX19) June 12, 2015
Well, this is good news for a change. Tim Federowicz has been out of action since his knee surgery in March. Today marks nearly 3 months to the day from his surgery that was set to keep him out for three to six months.
On March 13th, Federowicz underwent surgery to repair a complete tear of the lateral meniscus in his right knee.
Successful surgery this morning. Let the road to recovery begin. pic.twitter.com/tF3IhylF5N
— Tim Federowicz (@FedX19) March 13, 2015
Having him back on track at the 3 month mark is a great sign for Federowicz and for the Padres. Derek Norris has worked behind the plate for all but 40 plate appearances by Padres catchers. With Wil Nieves gone and Austin Hedges not producing to the level needed to give Norris more time off from behind the plate, a quick recovery by Federowicz may be what the Padres are looking for.
Federowicz is not the only Padre who is getting close to returning to the team either. Cory Luebke and Josh Johnson each had bullpen sessions in Atlanta on Wednesday. Luebke is much closer to getting back into a Padres uniform after pitching an inning on Monday against the Texas Rangers' team in the Arizona League. This outing was his first game back on the mound in three years.
Luebke will also be making a start for the Lake Elsinore Storm this weekend in what will be the first of quite a few rehab games within the Padres organization.
Luebke will start Saturday for @Storm_Baseball but still on reliever track. Look for one-Plus inning.
— Jeff Sanders (@JeffSanders_UT) June 12, 2015
After undergoing two Tommy John surgeries each, it's great to see Luebke and Johnson working their way towards not only returning to the mound, but also providing help to a Padres team that may need them sooner than later.