Houston Astros Injury Update: Kendall Graveman Returns to Pitching

Astros reliever Kendall Graveman has resumed his recovery from offseason shoulder surgery and said he is rehabbing amid the ‘distant possibility’ he will be able to pitch games before the end of this season.

The Astros announced in January that Graveman was expected to miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing right shoulder surgery. Graveman, who was at Minute Maid Park and played catch in the outfield Friday, said his rehabilitation is going well but still involves several steps before he can return to a mound.

When asked if there was a possibility he could play in games at the end of the season, Graveman said the decision would eventually have to be made “as a whole” involving the Astros, their staff. training and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, who performed his shoulder surgery. .

“But everything I’ve been doing since the surgery is I’m going to work as hard as I can to get back as quickly as possible,” Graveman said. “And I realize that the timing of these projects would really push him to come back. And there may be a small percentage. We never really want to impose this… timeline on anyone. But I feel like I’m in a good place right now after the surgery.

The Astros did not specify Graveman’s injury or what type of procedure he underwent in January. Graveman said he had a torn labrum in his right shoulder. He said the operation involved two “anchors” in his labrum and a cleaning of his rotator cuff.

“But overall, Meister, when he went there, said the shoulder looked beautiful in comparison,” Graveman said.

Graveman said he is in the middle of a 12-week throwing program. He throws 90 feet and said he should be 120 feet by the end of the program in July. His next step would be to throw himself off the slope of a mound.

A move to the mound could take 4 to 6 weeks, cutting into any timeline that would allow Graveman, who is making $8 million in the final year of a three-year, $24 million contract originally signed with the White Sox , to return this season.

“The window is closing quickly,” Graveman said. “But taking it day by day. I’ve checked all the boxes so far and I’m feeling great. The guys have been amazing, training the staff here, how to communicate, how to monitor me, how to see where I’m at.

“But I think I owe it to everyone in this organization to continue to try to push and perform on the field this year, if that’s a possibility and if they think it’s possible. I think that I owe it to everyone to keep trying to do this.