Skip to content

Lincecum targets early February showcase

Bill Streicher / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Free agent Tim Lincecum is ready to prove to teams he's fully recovered from hip surgery in September.

The former San Francisco Giants starter plans to hold a showcase for major-league clubs sometime during the first two weeks of February after progressing well in his recovery. His last appearance for the Giants was nearly seven months ago on June 27.

"He's throwing every day and says he's doing great," his agent Rick Thurman told John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle. "He's got no instability in his hip, and he's enthusiastic about his progress."

Reports had previously surfaced that January was the initial date for Lincecum to begin throwing, provided he continued to make faster-than-expected strides in his recovery. But despite having to push back his intended goal by a month, those closely monitoring him have been thoroughly impressed with his recuperation.

"Tim's doing great," said Brad Schoenthaler, head of Sports Rehab Consulting, the company in charge of Lincecum's rehabilitation, according to Shea. "He looks really strong. His hip pain and compensation patterns have cleared up. Everything's coming back a lot quicker than we expected."

If Lincecum is able to show he's well enough to resume his career as a starter, it would likely spell the end of his time in San Francisco, the big-league club he's spent all nine seasons of his career with. The Giants, whose rotation currently consists of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto, Jeff Samardzija, Jake Peavy, and Matt Cain, are said to be interested in Lincecum only as a reliever.

According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins are reportedly two of several teams who are showing significant interest in the two-time NL Cy Young winner.

The right-hander owns a 3.61 ERA throughout his career, but has pitched to unfavorable results over the last several seasons. Since 2011, Linecum has posted a 4.68 ERA and 1.402 WHIP in 615.2 innings.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox