January 11, 2024
Right-handed pitcher Trent Palmer is getting acclimated to being on the mound again after a long Tommy John recovery.
“Going into the surgery there was a little bit of a question because my elbow hurt for quite a while,” explained Palmer. “And I eventually found out that it was probably torn for two years. But with the recovery, you just kind of get into a rhythm of doing the same thing every day. I can’t thank the Blue Jays’ medical staff enough for everything they did for me. They really went out of their way for me.”
Palmer officially returned to game action last August and he finished his 2023 season pitching 7 2/3 innings split between the FCL and FSL.
The righty describes his first inning back as exciting, “That first inning is very exciting,” Palmer added. “You do all of that work, you get back to health, but even when you’re back, you’re not. You don’t know how you’re going to feel every day. It’s kind of a different feeling every day, but knowing you did all of the proper rehab and stuff to get to that point is very satisfying. You know you’re moving in the right direction again.”
Palmer is back to throwing all three of his pitches again. He found throwing his 4-seam fastball and changeup relatively easy and he gradually worked on his slider.
He’s currently working on throwing his 4-seam fastball more consistently, “I’ve started working on being more consistent with the 4-seam,” stated Palmer. “That was kind of the plan when I got drafted by the Blue Jays’. I think this off-season is the off-season where I can really focus on having that pitch. I’m attacking the top of the zone with it.”
Welcome back, Trent Palmer!