P CHC
Sat 5/16/15 12:55 PM

Smyly (shoulder) is seriously considering a rehab program that would have him pitching again by August or September, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. This is a drastic risk for Smyly to take. There's a significant chance he could re-injure his labrum if he returns in 2015 and that would bite a massive chunk out of his 2016 season, since surgery would be all but unavoidable at that point. That's also not to say surgery is likelier to get him back to pitching at the level he was pre-injury, while a rehab program could bring back missing some velocity. That said, Smyly's doctor wouldn't present this as a possibility without a real reason, so don't be shocked if he goes through with it.