After back surgery, Honeycutt quickly returns to bring wisdom to camp
by Cary Osborne
Among the numerous 20- and 30-somethings aiming to make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster is one 64-year-old.
Eleven days after undergoing a five-hour spinal fusion surgery, 14-season pitching coach Rick Honeycutt was at Camelback Ranch on Saturday wearing a back brace and watching pitchers throw bullpens.
“He’s the best. He really is,” said starting pitcher Rich Hill. “Having spent the last three years around him and being around his ability to communicate with the pitchers and just his ease of communication and his understanding of situations because of his experience … it’s something all of us are really fortunate to have Rick on our side.”
Earlier in the week, manager Dave Roberts said he didn’t expect Honeycutt to return until about midweek next week. In Honeycutt’s absence, bullpen coach Mark Prior has been the primary pitching coach in camp.
“Unfortunately, I’ll probably get a call from Dr. Watkins (who performed the surgery) tonight,” Honeycutt said. “He didn’t want me coming for two weeks. But I felt good enough to come.”
Honeycutt said he expects to get more and more involved as the fatigue from his surgery fades.
The surgery was performed on Feb. 12 — the day pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training. Honeycutt has been receiving video of live batting practice sessions and has kept in contact with Dodger pitchers, including Clayton Kershaw, who is dealing with an arm issue that has had him shut down from throwing since he threw a bullpen session on Wednesday.
In his morning session with reporters on Saturday, manager Dave Roberts was encouraged from his latest conversations with Kershaw.
“It’s kind of the same as it was yesterday. Right now we’re going to stick with the same program and see how he feels,” Roberts said. “I know in talking to him he feels better physically. When the training staff decides, we can kind of ramp things back up.”
Kershaw on Friday said: “I’m just going to take a few days. I think it’s just best if I do that. I just feel like I’m not going to get another chance to do this during the season and feel like it’s a good time.”
Kershaw didn’t throw on Saturday but said Friday that his aim is to resume throwing by the beginning of next week.
