Excellent news for the Reds and really, all baseball fans, as Aroldis Chapman threw off the mound today for the first time since he was hit in the face by a line drive on March 19.
According to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com, Chapman threw a total of 25 pitches. Reds manager Bryan Price was among those in attendance and he was pleased with what he saw from the hard-throwing left-hander.
“He threw the ball outstanding,” Price said. “He threw all of his pitches, including his slider. He was sharp, extremely enthusiastic and happy to be out there as we all were. It was exciting.”
Chapman suffered fractures above his left eye and nose as a result of the comebacker and required surgery to have a plate inserted in his forehead. He’ll need to make it through multiple bullpen sessions before facing live hitters and the Reds will give him an option to pitch behind a screen when he’s ready to do that. The Reds aren’t going to rush him back into action, but things are looking up for him to contribute in the near future.
Jonathan Broxton was activated from the disabled list last week and is expected to serve as Cincinnati’s closer until Chapman is ready to return.
