Rockies reliever RJ Petit discusses coming back from Tommy John surgery

Taking a spring training detour

Petit was moving through spring training with the Rockies, where he had 4.0 IP and a 6.75 ERA, when things began to tilt, starting — as it often does with pitchers — with some arm pain. “It was weird,” Petit said. “I’ve dealt with arm pain before, just soreness and always thinking you can get through it, or throw through it, never really thinking the worst. And then one outing, it just didn’t really feel good, and I was like, ‘I’m just sore’ because I felt a little bit better the next day.” His optimism was short-lived “It was an outing against Team USA where I was warming up, and I was like, ‘Okay, something’s wrong,’ but I was still naive — ‘Oh, it’s not *that* wrong.’ And then still went out there.” View Link The pain reached a level for Petit where he was no longer focused on pitching. “I was kind of just in my own head, kind of screaming, ‘What’s going on?’ because every throw, it just felt terrible.” As it turned out, Petit would require Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow. Accepting the news was difficult. “It was, in a way, world crashing down all at once,” he said. “I know baseball isn’t everything, but it is a massive part of my life. So it wasn’t easy to hear. I was really emotional at that point in time, but I think I also did a really good job of moving past the feeling-sorry-for-myself stage. “When I found out, (the coaches) were like, ‘Yeah, just go home. Take the day’ because it was pretty early.” So Petit did some hard thinking. “And honestly, on that drive home, I was just thinking about everything. Didn’t play any music. [I] was just thinking, just going back and forth. But I realized how blessed I am, and that this whole journey and plan that’s laid out for me, I have no control of, and God has great things waiting for me. And this is just part of it, and it’s only going to, in the long run, make me stronger, physically, mentally. And (I’m) blessed to have the organization behind me, their support constantly, great surgeons, awesome PTs every single day. So I’m not just left out in the dark. I’m in a really good spot.”

Beginning recovery

As it turns out, Petit was not done with surprises. First, consider some basic human anatomy. When a pitcher’s ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) is replaced in his elbow, surgeons prefer to transfer part of the *palmaris longus* tendon from the forearm/inner wrist. However many people do not have one, and, for all his size, Petit doesn’t either. So the surgeon instead took part of Petit’s hamstring that connects near his left knee. But he didn’t know that when the procedure began. “Coming out of surgery, I was fully expecting everything that was going on with the elbow,” Petit said. “I didn’t expect the knee to hurt so bad because that’s where they took a graft from.” It’s led to a more complex rehab that he expected. “So far, my elbow stinks, but I expected it to. But the knee and the hamstring have been way more annoying because I can’t move around as easy.” Petit noted that he’s feeling better now, but in the meantime, he’s going through the tedium of rehab. During the Rockies last homestand, he was wearing a hinged elbow brace that limits the range of motion for his right arm. Every Friday, however, the PT changes the settings, and he gains a little more mobility, occasions he thinks of as “one-week anniversaries.” His surgery took place on a Friday, so Fridays have become progress markers. “Okay, this week you get your bandages off,” Petit explained. “We’re going to cut the stitches this week. You can take a shower. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, thank you. Thank you, Lord’ because that wasn’t easy.” The first two weeks were especially tough. He was not allowed to sweat in order to avoid infection. But after two weeks, he was allowed to shower and begin lifting. “And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I feel a little bit normal again.’”

Doing the work

Lucas Gilbreath, a Tommy John recipient himself, told me once that the biggest misunderstanding about the Tommy John is the tedium of recovery. RJ Petit agrees. “It’s the same every day,” he said. “We start rehab at 8:00, and then it’s about 3 (hours) and 45 minutes of just passive range-of-motion stuff, where I’m literally just laying on the table,” he said. “Then I’m just moving through it and getting to see where I can get, and me being like, ‘Oh, that feels bad today,’ or, ‘Oh no, it feels really good today.’ And just working through it, seeing what we got. And then from there, we just have a bunch of exercises that we do, and slowly building up weight, slowly building up reps and sets, and then gaining new exercises that test it a little bit more and just go through more movements.” In the meantime, there’s just boredom. “I’ve accepted it,” Petit said, “I’ll drag my feet around, and I’ll still get out of there at 11:30. I’ll go for a nice 30-minute walk on one of the fields out at the facility. That’s not even on my program. That’s just to get outside and move a little bit.” But he knows it’s part of the process. Plus, he’s part of a supportive community. “Obviously, it sucks. A lot of guys have had it, but I think that also helps seeing guys in the locker room that have had it before, and they’re fine. They’re good now.” That said, it’s still hard. “The rehab is just what it is. You’ll get through that fine,” Petit said. “It’s just stay positive. Stay with it. Make sure you talk to your good people around you. Stay grounded. Stay mentally sane. Don’t let the boringness and the monotonousness of the rehab take over because that’ll be what really gets you.”

Pitching left handed

An obvious question for any pitcher recovering from Tommy John would be if they attempted to throw from their non-pitching hand. “I did try and throw left handed,” he said. “It was really bad.” The switch would have been challenging for any pitcher, but it was made impossible by the missing ligament in his leg. “When I tried to throw lefty, I strained my hamstring again, or felt my hamstring because I forgot that you push off of that leg,” he said. “So I tried to throw one left-handed as a joke when we were walking on the agility field because there was just the ball sitting out there. So I picked it up and threw it with my left hand, and it made my hamstring hurt. So I was like, ‘Okay, probably gonna stay away from that.’”

Maintaining the look

A joke in the Rockies spring training clubhouse was the Petit and fellow reliever Zach Agnos were big and little versions of each other with their distinctive dark hair and mustaches — and very different heights. (Agnos stands six feet tall.) That’s no longer the case. While Agnos continues as he always has with this Rollie Fingers-esque mustache, Petit would almost be unrecognizable if not for his size given that he has cut his hair and shaved.

This week on the internet

In case you missed Mickey Moniak and Troy Johnston on the MLB Network last week, here you go. Rockies’ pitching staff set for boost with Freeland returning | MLB.com Kyle Freeland will be back in the Rockies rotation tonight. Bill Lasden talked with Freeland about his recovery in addition to what’s different in the Rockies clubhouse this season. Can Chase Dollander defeat Coors Field? | MLB Trade Rumors Charlie Wright asks the key question. Which MLB teams have figured out ABS challenge strategies, and which are still searching? | The Athletic ($) The Rockies are tied with the Minnesota Twins for the highest success rate (55%). It’s more positive news for the rebuilding Rockies.

Join the conversation!

Sign up for a user account and get:

• Fewer ads
• Create community posts
• Comment on articles, community posts
• Rec comments, community posts
• New, improved notifications system! *Please keep in mind ourPurple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!*