Rea -- who appeared ticketed for Tommy John surgery earlier this month -- had a platelet-rich plasma injection on Thursday. He's hopeful to avoid surgery and is looking to build his arm to full strength for a few innings of instructional ball before the end of 2016.
Rea's decision to forgo surgery came after he consulted with Dr. James Andrews, one of the most respected surgeons in the industry, earlier this week.
"It was a hard decision to make, and he was really leaning toward trying the PRP, giving it a shot," Rea said of his discussions with Andrews.