BRADENTON — Opening day continues to look promising for right-hander Charlie Morton. After undergoing offseason left hip surgery to repair a labrum tear in mid-October, the 28-year-old looks to be ahead of the six months recovery time.
“Everything’s in a good place for Charlie, everything’s in a good place,” Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said. “He’s continued to knockdown every challenge we’ve had in front of him. As far as getting up on a mound in time, he’s probably ahead of schedule from what we knocked out earlier, and now we just created a new schedule and we’ll go accordingly.”
Morton threw a bullpen session on Monday afternoon at Pirate City. And after day two of workouts, Hurdle said that Morton is in a good place medically.
“There’s been no hesitation, no step back,” Hurdle said. “He’s doing everything he needs to do. He feels good, mechanics are in a good place for where we are in February. The velocity, the arm strength, they are all showing good signs of a guy that’s in a good place medically.”
