RADIO
Nine months removed from Tommy John surgery, Matt Moore sees the light at the end of the tunnel that will get him back on the field. Marc Tompkin of the Tampa Bay Times has reported that Moore is slated to begin throwing off of a mound the last week of January. Tompkin also stated that Moore is targeting June for his return to the Rays rotation.
#Rays LHP Matt Moore good physically, mentally in rehab from TJ surgery, starts throwing off mound last week of Jan., targeting June return.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) January 14, 2015
Moore’s 2014 season was derailed after only two starts following a breakout 2013 All-Star campaign where he went 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. Moore is still on his original rehab schedule and has not suffered any setbacks since he began soft tossing and in September.
Moore, who is still only 25 years old, is still a big part of the Ray’s future. His contract is very club friendly at $34 million over the next five seasons, which includes three club options between 2017 and 2019. The Rays, who have traded away plenty of their key pieces over the past year including David Price and Ben Zobrist, made sure to keep the youngster on their roster.
Heading into spring training, Moore’s rotation spot is up for grabs for the first few months of the season. Nathan Karns and Alex Colome are the two likely candidates to take over. Karns, a prospect who was sent to Tampa from the Nationals in the Jose Labaton trade, has had a handful of major league starts and has a career 3.45 minor league ERA. Colome has a 3-1 record over 8 appearances in the majors with a scary 25/19 K/BB rate.
It’s safe to say the Rays will be more than thrilled to get their young stud Moore back into their rotation.
