Right-hander Jeff Karstens made his first rehab start on Monday for the Double-A Curve in Altoona. Karstens allowed one hit over three scoreless frames. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out one while throwing 37 pitches, 25 for strikes.
“I felt good,” Karstens said afterwards. “I was able to come out and throw strikes, work on some things. Anytime it’s your first rehab assignment you have some extra adrenaline because you haven’t pitched in a while. For me, to be able to go out there and throw strikes on a consistent basis is definitely a positive for me.”
“Just ending my outing healthy,” Karstens said on what he worked on. “That’s the biggest thing. Anytime you go on the DL, you don’t know. Sometimes it can be a little bit tentative when you come back. The main thing for me was throwing loose and free. I felt healthy, so it was definitely a good sign for me.”
Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle said prior to the game today that the goal was to get him to throw 45 pitches or three frames. The right-hander threw a bullpen in Detroit with no issue, which allowed him to take the next step today for his rehab outing.
Karstens threw an extra eight pitches in the bullpen after his outing to reach the desired 45 pitch mark. The Pirates will announce his next step in his rehab process later this week.
“I really just try and take it one step at a time,” Hurdle said.
Karstens was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder inflammation on April 18.
