SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — When the bullpen door opened prior to the top of the sixth Tuesday at Scottsdale Stadium, it was a meaningful moment for anyone familiar with the pitcher who was about to emerge.
Out jogged Daulton Jefferies, making the trek across the outfield grass to the pitcher’s mound for the first time in more than 20 months.
“Just when he took the mound, for me, that got my attention,” manager Bob Melvin said, reflecting a day later. “What he’s been through and how long it’s been, how many difficult situations he’s been through. That warmed my heart a little.”
On May 18, 2022, in his eighth start of the season, Jefferies coaxed Twins second baseman Jorge Polanco to chase a changeup off the plate for strike three and the final out of the fourth inning. He wouldn’t throw another competitive pitch again, not until Tuesday afternoon.
Jefferies was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, requiring season-ending surgery. Later, it was recommended he undergo the procedure commonly known as Tommy John surgery — repairing the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow for a second time — and the arduous path back to the field that accompanies it.
“It was emotional, for sure,” said Jefferies, who pitched two innings, allowed a run on three hits and struck out one batter.
The Giants lost the spring exhibition, but for Jefferies the win was getting back on the mound, at all.
There is only a small — but growing — number of pitchers who have successfully come back from a second elbow reconstruction.
This season, Jefferies will look to add his name to the list, along with the Dodgers’ talented young right-hander Walker Buehler.
For every success story, such as Nathan Eovaldi, who had his first operation in 2007 and another in 2016, there are pitchers were never were the same after their second. Before Brian Wilson became the Giants’ bearded closer, he had his first procedure in 2003. But after undergoing his second in 2012, he was out of baseball two years later.
Not only is the number of follow-up procedures growing, pitchers are undergoing their first at earlier ages and the time between operations is shrinking. Buehler first went under the knife in 2015, then again in 2022, while Jefferies’ window was even shorter, with surgeries in 2017 and 2022.
“It’s unfortunate that that guys are having two now, but it’s realistic,” Jefferies said. “I think it’s just that guys are throwing a lot harder now. Guys are chasing velo now. I really don’t know. It’s a harsh reality. Like, it’s bad, but it’s beneficial that a lot of guys have had it because of the success rate and the guys having to get it are more hopeful because so many guys have come back from it.”
Crediting the support from his parents, John and Lisa, brother, Jake, and girlfriend, Natalie — and his 6-year-old Australian shepherd border collie mix, Oakley — Jefferies said the second time around was “breezy” compared to his first rehab process, which he said took an even larger mental toll than a physical one.
“A lot of hard work, a lot of support from family and friends, teammates, everyone,” he said. “It was a group effort.”
When his time finally came to begin warming up in the bullpen beyond the right field wall, Jefferies had to give himself a reminder.
“I threw my first one and I was like, ‘OK, I know that I just need to be slow. I feel really good,’” Jefferies said. “It was emotional, but it was good.”
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His deceptive fastball sat in the low-to-mid 90s, and he used his signature changeup to induce a double-play ground ball. He also mixed in a new breaking ball he’s looking to add to his mix that would make him a more viable option as a starter.
While Melvin said the Giants will be careful with Jefferies this spring, the Cal product and former first-round pick said he hopes to be stretched out to five innings by the end of camp. Over three seasons in Oakland, all but four of his 14 appearances came as a starter.
With the statuses Keaton Winn and Tristan Beck in question, the Giants could be in need for additional rotation options to begin the season.
“Depending on the role for him, he can get by with fastball-changeup,” Melvin said. “It looks really similar to what it did before. He’s got great command. He’s got a lot of deception in what he does. … We can stretch him out some. How much, I’m not sure yet, coming off the second one. It just depends on how he feels as we go along.”