Tommy John. Two words that pitchers (and position players) never want to hear. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay Rays’ pitching prospect Cole Wilcox had to listen to those two words in September 2021.
Tommy John surgery is an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction to repair a torn UCL inside the elbow by replacing it with a tendon from somewhere else in the body. The recovery process is lengthy and can take over a year until a player returns healthy again.
The length of time away from playing the game you love is the biggest obstacle for players.
“The biggest challenge is not being on the field,” Wilcox said. “Our whole life we play a game and do it every year, having it taken from you is mentally challenging.”
The recovery process with a physical therapist usually starts less than a week after surgery, even though players are still in an elbow brace. The goal is to maintain muscle strength in the arm. After six weeks, players can expect to regain a full range of motion. But the road is long to throw a baseball again eventually.
Not being able to take the field day in and day out is challenging in itself. Having to come to the ballpark every day for rehabilitation rather than going on the field and doing the one thing you love can be grueling.
“We are competitors and we need competition to thrive,” Wilcox said.
Positives and Negatives of Injury Recovery
The impact on athletes going through the injuries will have its positives and negatives. It can test your patience. It can impact your motivation. But it can also help you grow mentally and physically.
“Physically you get stronger, you understand your body more, you work weaknesses, and you develop better routines,” Wilcox said.
Being away from the game they love can also allow players to reflect. It gives them time to dissect their mechanics and game plan and realize how much the game really means to them.
“I think when I get back I won’t take for granted a single pitch,” Wilcox said. “It’s so true that you really don’t know how much you love something until it’s not there to love. Definitely questioned whether I did or not while I was injured, but getting on the mound for the first time brought it all back.”
The more you are away from the parts of the game you love, the harder it gets to realize how much you love it. That time away can have you second-guessing your love for what you do. But as Wilcox stated, a lot of it can be related to being competitors who love to compete.
Making His Way Back to the Mound
The injury recovery took a toll on Wilcox, but he could power through the process and make his way back to the mound due to some of the people he had around him to help support him.
“Having a group of guys go through it together is necessary. As bad as it sounds, I’m glad guys like (Nick) Schnell, Caleb Sampen, Dillon Paulson, and Shay Smiddy were all hurt when I was, because we were able to go through it together.”
A supporting cast can make the recovery process much more manageable. Knowing that there is someone else around you that is going through the same lets you know that you are not alone. That pushing towards the goal of getting yourself back on the field will be a long journey but one well worth the wait.
Now that Wilcox has started throwing again, he has many goals he is looking to accomplish as he makes his way back.
“My main goal in coming back from injury is to carry over the routines I’ve learned while rehabbing,” Wilcox said. “I want to do everything to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
That can be one of the most challenging parts about bouncing back from injury and getting back out to compete. The feeling that you may go out there and repeat the same injury. But Wilcox has a plan in place.
“I’m looking forward to competing. When I started throwing changeups and sliders again, I went into a zone I haven’t been in for a while,” Wilcox said. It was just execution mode and it was almost like a high I got from doing it. You can’t replicate it, I can’t imagine what playing in front of fans will feel like.”