SAN DIEGO -- Padres right-hander Colin Rea, who suffered a partially torn UCL in his right elbow in July, has resumed throwing with the hope that he'll be back to full strength by the beginning of December.
The Padres have set a Dec. 1 deadline for Rea's return to health. If he doesn't meet it, Tommy John surgery appears to be the most likely course of action.
Initially, Rea opted to avoid surgery, instead receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection on Aug. 18. The Padres view his current rehab as something of a no-lose situation, because if his recovery hits a snag, December surgery would force him to miss one season -- just as it would have in August.