Andrew Lambo went down with a thumb injury in early May. Originally he thought it was a bruised thumb, and was scheduled to take a few weeks off. By the end of his three-week break it was determined that he would need surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament.
“I hate taking myself out of the lineup,” Lambo said on the initial evaluation and trying to return after a break. “It’s better to be aware of your body, and I’m learning that. Sometimes it’s okay to push things, and sometimes it’s not. It’s just a lesson, you can’t really push something like that.”
Lambo thought he was starting to get better as the rehab went on. He was taking grounders and swinging a bat towards the end of the break.
“I was able to swing, I was able to do things, but still something was a little off,” Lambo said.
After the three weeks was up, Lambo told the Pirates that something felt off. He went to get an MRI, and it was determined that he needed surgery. The original timetable was scheduled for a return after 6-8 weeks. Lambo is on the early side of that timetable.
“When I was in the cast, we were still working and doing a lot of things,” Lambo said on his early return. “I think we picked up a lot of time doing that. We didn’t really kind of sit around for the time I was in the cast.”
He just played a complete game today in the GCL, which was his second in a row. The next step would usually be a return to Indianapolis, although with the Triple-A All-Star break coming up next week, it’s possible Lambo could go to Jamestown for a bit, to avoid having three days off right after he returns. He could return to Indianapolis following the Triple-A All-Star break, which ends next Thursday.