Charlie Furbush is a major league pitcher who currently is not pitching.
Furbush, the South Portland native who pitched for St. Joseph’s College, is waiting for his troublesome left arm to feel better before he can contribute again as a member of the Seattle Mariners’ bullpen.
The current issue is tightness in Furbush’s triceps muscle.
“I’d like to be ready as soon as I can,” Furbush said from Peoria, Arizona, where the Mariners hold spring training.
“Just have to take it one day at a time.”
Furbush sounds like a man who has been through this before. Unfortunately, he has experience at this patience game.
It was not long after his first, abbreviated pro season with the Tigers’ organization in 2007 when Furbush needed Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery in his left elbow. That caused him to miss the 2008 season.
Furbush reached the majors in 2011 and, in 2015, looked to be a key piece of Seattle’s bullpen. He had a 2.08 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP (walks/hits per innings pitched) through 33 games.
But Furbush was shelved on July 7 because of an initial diagnosis of shoulder tendinitis. The injury turned out to be a slight tear in Furbush’s rotator cuff. He was lost for the rest of the season.
“It’s the life of a pitcher,” Furbush said.
Furbush sought medical opinions – including that of famed surgeon James Andrews – and learned surgery was not needed, just rest and rehab.
The Mariners have attempted to rebuild their bullpen after ranking 12th in the American League with a 4.15 ERA in 2015. Most of the relievers were let go or traded away (like Carson Smith to Boston in a trade for starter Wade Miley).
Furbush was the only regular reliever kept, and it was expected he would be the late-inning lefty.
It seems ages ago when Furbush was a starting pitcher, drafted by Detroit and traded to Seattle in a deadline deal for Doug Fister in 2011. Furbush moved to the bullpen the next year, making 48 appearances, then 71 in 2013 and 67 in 2014. With a 92 mph fastball and an 81 mph slider, Furbush was settling in as a reliever.
“It’s just about executing pitches, leaving it all on the field,” he said. “You pitch to your strengths and make adjustments on the fly.
“I’ve learned through experience, learned from mistakes.
“I got off to a good start (in 2015) …”
Then the shoulder injury.
Furbush was being brought along cautiously this spring. He threw a bullpen session on March 7 but was slow to recover from it. The triceps muscle strain was eventually diagnosed.
Reports out of the Mariners’ camp is that there’s no connection between this injury and last year’s, but an arm injury is always a cause for worry, especially when the pitcher has been shut down before. Naturally, Furbush wants to get going – but that voice of experience is calling for patience.
“I’m trying not to get to ahead of myself,” Furbush said.
It looks unlikely that Furbush will be ready for opening day. Already, the Mariners are converting left-handed starter Mike Montgomery into a reliever.
Seattle has had other bullpen woes. Ryan Cook, who pitched briefly for Boston last year, is on the 60-day disabled list because of a lat strain. Jonathan Aro, who pitched for the Sea Dogs and Red Sox last year (and was sent to Seattle in the Miley deal), put up an 8.53 ERA this spring and has been sent to the minors.
Meanwhile, Furbush waits.
“Trying to be smart about the whole thing and put myself in a position to go,” he said. “If it’s opening day, that will great. Otherwise, I’ll be ready as soon as I can.”
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