Bettis plans to pitch this season after cancer scare: 'It's going to happen'

Chad Bettis is adamant he will be back on a big-league mound in 2017.

The Colorado Rockies hurler, who in December revealed he had undergone surgery after being diagnosed with testicular cancer, recently announced he had completed all of his chemotherapy treatments. Now, Bettis says he plans to hopefully rejoin the Rockies to help them lock up first place in the NL West, where they currently sit 49 games into the season.

"The way I see it, it's going to happen. I think it's a realistic goal," Bettis told Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. "At what point in time during the season I would be coming back is all kind of up in the air. But it's something that I'm going to be pushing to get to."

After having the cancerous testicle surgically removed, Bettis believed the worst was behind him and joined the Rockies in spring training. After a routine checkup, however, he discovered the cancer had unexpectedly spread, necessitating chemotherapy.

Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich fully expects Bettis to reach his target of returning this season.

"It's more about the guy than it is about the cancer," Bridich said, according to Rosenthal. "Who knows with cancer? There is only so much you can control. But we are expecting this man to achieve what he wants to achieve. And we know that he wants to get back on the hill this year."