LoMo happy to be playing a year after surgery

MIAMI -- A year ago, Logan Morrison didn't know what to expect. All he knew then was his right knee had been in excruciating pain for a while, and he underwent his second surgery in less than a year.

Fast forward to today, and the Marlins first baseman is elated to be back playing regularly and pain free.

Morrison on Friday took a minute to reflect on how far he has come in one calendar year. The 26-year-old sent out a tweet thanking those who helped him on his road to recovery.

Thursday was the one-year anniversary of Morrison's second surgery, which was performed by Dr. Richard Steadman in Colorado. The first baseman did his rehab at the Fischer Institute in Arizona.

"From where I was a year ago to now is totally two different states of mind, and totally two different physical bodies," Morrison said.

Admittedly, Morrison had doubts about his recovery because he basically hasn't been healthy since 2011, before his knee collided with the side wall at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Morrison still isn't producing the way he has hoped, but he is confident that with continued repetitions, he will see better results. He is batting .258 with five homers and 30 RBIs since coming off the disabled list in June.

"I'm happy to be back on the field," Morrison said. "Obviously, I want to be better. I think I have to be patient with myself, even though I don't want to be. Not having played healthy for a couple of years, now to be healthy; it takes a while to be back into that.

"I'm very surprised with the way my body has held up, mainly my knee. Just the pain I went through last year playing and not having that this year, it's crazy. I didn't think I'd be able to be symptom-free. There still is some pain, but it's day and night. Hopefully, we are getting all the kinks out this year and we'll be ready to go next year."