Catcher’s Blog

Mike Hampton started in his first rehab start yesterday, Thursday, November 22, 2007 for the Mexican League team Navajoa’s. This is the first of his seven starts he’s scheduled to make during the Mexican League. Here is the AJC write-up:

Braves left-hander Mike Hampton pitched one inning and allowed one hit with one strikeout in his Mexican Winter League debut Thursday for Navajoa, the first of seven starts he’s scheduled to make as he embarks on his latest comeback bid.

He has missed the past two seasons recovering from elbow surgeries, and the Braves are cautiously optimistic about the possibility of Hampton returning to the starting rotation in 2008.

Although team officials said two weeks ago that Hampton hoped to pitch three innings in his winter league debut, that decision was apparently reconsidered before Thursday.

“He is in a rehab mode,” said Braves general manager Frank Wren, adding that this was Hampton’s first competitive situation of any kind in over a year.

Wren said the plan is for Hampton to increase his workload to two innings, then three, trying to build arm strength with each start.

Source.