Indians' Carrasco feeling '100 percent' after offseason rehab
After missing the Cleveland Indians' playoff run due to a bad-luck injury, Carlos Carrasco is chomping at the bit to get going again in 2017.
The right-hander saw his 2016 season end Sept. 17 - right as the Indians were pulling away in the AL Central race - when an Ian Kinsler line drive broke a bone in his right hand. As a result, he could only watch from the dugout as his team improbably took home the AL pennant and pushed the Cubs to seven games in the World Series.
But Carrasco's been working hard over the winter to rehabilitate his hand and return to the mound next year. The 29-year-old spent the last two weeks throwing again, and all signs point to his healthy return when the Indians report to spring training in February.
"I'm 100 percent right now," Carrasco told Jordan Bastian of MLB.com on Monday.
Carrasco added that he'll be getting a head start on 2017 spring training, and plans to arrive at the Indians' complex in late January. Indians pitchers and catchers aren't scheduled to report until Feb. 12.
If he's indeed at full health, it's possible that Carrasco could benefit both his team and his country of Venezuela in this March's World Baseball Classic. Venezuela manager Omar Vizquel apparently wants Carrasco as part of his potentially star-studded rotation behind Felix Hernandez, reports Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com, though it's unclear if the Indians would let him leave for the tournament coming off the injury.
Carrasco posted a 3.32 ERA and 150 strikeouts in 25 starts for the Indians last year.