Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages had surgery just over a week ago on his hand after getting hit by a 100 mph fastball, but he is already making notable progress in his recovery.
Pages suffered a fracture in his left hand, leaving him in a good amount of pain after the fact, and despite his effort to play through it, he was pulled from the August 22nd game against the Pittsburgh Pirates early and found to have a broken hand.
This season, Pages has been an All-Star and one of the better Dodgers players in a season where not many others have really gotten going.
With his elite glove work and improved contact hitting, Pages is a key cog in the Dodgers machine, and it seems like his return is a matter of time at this point.
Where is Andy Pages in his recovery?
During an appearance on “Dodgers Talk” with David Vassegh, Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates shared that Pages will start swinging ” pretty soon” and that Pages does not feel any pain at this point.
“He hasn’t swung yet as far as hitting a ball. But he said I think it was the next couple of days or so he was going to practice,” Bates said.
“It’s just dry swings at first. There’s a progression.”
Pages’ outlook was 4-to-5 weeks when he initially suffered the injury, putting him in line to return for the final week of action before the postseason starts.
It won’t be as many games as anyone would like before jumping into the playoffs, but it will be better than returning straight from the injured list.
Andy Pages’ value to the Dodgers
The outfielder boasts 3.9 fWAR and a 119 wRC+ for the season. He is walking more than ever and getting on base more often, while also slugging at a healthy rate.
Pages ranks only below Pete Crow-Armstrong in defensive stats, and overall, he is a valuable presence.
He still has some flaws, mostly mental mistakes, but he really does offer so much to the current Dodgers team.
The next checkpoint for Pages comes when he can finally field some balls and swing the bat, both of which will be the final markers.
For now, having no pain is a good start to his journey that will ramp up in the coming weeks.
