ST. PETERSBURG -- Steven Souza Jr. is ready to go. After surgery, rehab and a lot of waiting, the right fielder will get his first start of the spring Wednesday afternoon, when the Rays welcome the Phillies to Charlotte Sports Park.
Souza had season-ending hip surgery on Sept. 21 in Nashville, Tenn., where Dr. Thomas Byrd operated to debride a labral tear and impingement of Souza's left hip.
Now that he's pain-free and able to pick up where he left off, Souza called what he went through "a great process." In doing so, he thanked the University of Washington's manual therapy, the Rays' training staff and Murphy's Corner Physical Therapy for lending a hand.