PORT ST. LUCIE — T.J. Rivera’s attempted return from Tommy John surgery hasn’t proceeded smoothly this spring.
The 31-year-old Bronx native has remained absent from exhibition games because of discomfort in his surgically repaired elbow.
“T.J. is having trouble getting over the hump to throw in a game,” manager Mickey Callaway said Wednesday. “It’s kind of like last year, he just can’t get over that game-speed hump to get out there and perform in a game.”
Rivera, an infielder, underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2017 and spent last season rehabbing.