Cancer-free Bettis to rejoin Rockies, begin rehab

His cancer treatments are done, and now Chad Bettis appears ready to get back to the big leagues.

The Colorado Rockies right-hander - who's been on the sidelines since spring training after it was discovered that his testicular cancer had unexpectedly spread - announced Friday that he plans to rejoin the team next week and begin his official rehab process, with an eye on returning to the major leagues this season.

"I got my (chemotherapy) port out and will be joining the team when they come back (to Denver) from San Diego," Bettis told Thomas Harding of MLB.com on Friday night.

Since announcing in March that his cancer had spread, Bettis has been very open about his goal of returning to the Rockies at some point this summer. Following the completion of his chemotherapy treatments on May 16, the 28-year-old reiterated that desire yet again, and suggested it was something very much within the realm of possibility.

"The way I see it, it's going to happen. I think it's a realistic goal," Bettis said last month. "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."

Bettis underwent surgery to remove one of his testicles in November after his cancer was first discovered. Though he was initially deemed to be cancer-free following the surgery, he revealed in March that the cancer had unexpectedly spread, forcing him to undergo several rounds of chemotherapy.

When the Rockies visited Arizona in April, Bettis - a resident of the Phoenix area - visited them at Chase Field and was able to play catch in between his treatments.

A four-year veteran of the majors, Bettis is coming off the best season of his career in 2016 that saw him strike out a career-high 138 batters in 32 starts, while leading all Rockies starters with 186 innings pitched.