Angels right-hander Garrett Richards saw his breakthrough season come to an unfortunate end in August when he tore the patellar tendon in his left knee while trying to make a play at first base, but he’s making solid progress from surgery.
According to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Richards’ agent said today that his client has been riding an exercise bike, walking without crutches and doing strengthening and range-of-motion exercises. He’s expected to progress to jogging on a de-weighted treadmill by the end of November and could begin throwing and light baseball activities by late-January. The original timeline after surgery was 6-9 months, but Richards still has a good chance to be ready for Opening Day next year if all goes well.
Richards, 26, emerged as an ace this season by posting a 2.61 ERA and 164/51 K/BB ratio in 168 2/3 innings over 26 starts.
