Posey warns Schwarber not to rush back to catching

Buster Posey knows what it's like to get back behind the plate following a gruesome injury.

After Kyle Schwarber made a shocking World Series comeback from a torn ACL last season, the Chicago Cubs slugger has been vocal about his desire to return to catching duties with his club in 2017.

But Posey, the San Francisco Giants catcher who had to battle back from his own season-ending surgery in 2011, urged the eager 23-year-old to tread carefully on a possible reappearance behind home plate.

"I always told people it took me a solid two years before I felt back to some sense of normalcy," Posey said while filming commercials with Schwarber last month, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. "For the year or two after my ankle injury, there was maintenance after every game and spring training workout, whatever it may be.

"I'm feeling pretty good (now) and can back off it a little bit."

In May 2011, Posey suffered a fractured fibula and torn ankle ligaments when he was barreled into by Florida Marlins outfielder Scott Cousins at home plate:

The collision required Posey to undergo surgery just days later, ending his season less than two months in.

With the experience the incident brought him, the Giants catcher hopes Schwarber will use his ability to play elsewhere on the field to his advantage.

"We had two different injuries, but it's important to build up strength," Posey told Gonzales. "But if my ankle felt cranky, moving over to first base helped."