San Diego Padres outfielder and first baseman Wil Myers will begin hitting drills on Friday and is hoping for a mid-to-late August return, according to Padres.com.
Myers had surgery a month ago to remove a bone spur in his left wrist and has missed 57 games this season over two stints on the disabled list.
He will begin hitting of a tee Friday and progress from there. His slow approach to the rehab comes from past experiences with trying to rush back from injuries.
“I’ve had two injuries in my career that I’ve rushed back from and I haven’t performed,” Myers said Sunday per Padres.com. “With this one here … I’ve got to make sure it’s ready to go before I get back in a game.”
In the 35 games he has played this season, Myers, 24, has batted .277 with five homers and 19 RBI.
Twenty nine of those games he started in center field but he also started five games at first base after he initially injured his wrist in May.
Interim manager Pat Murphy said that he plans to use Myers at both positions.
Myers has been able to take part in baseball activities that don’t involve hitting, and says that for the most part the wrist is pain-free.
“The wrist is feeling good. I’ve got some scar tissue I’m dealing with, trying to get out of there,” he said per Padres.com. “There’s some soreness at the end range if you really crank on it. But other than that, I’ve got nothing. The strength is coming along.”