LOS ANGELES -- Chris Capuano will seek answers for the renewed discomfort in his left elbow in Milwaukee, where the veteran reliever is scheduled to visit with head physician William Raasch on Tuesday for an examination and potentially an MRI scan.
Capuano, a two-time Tommy John surgery patient, had been on track for a Minor League rehabilitation assignment before facing hitters in a simulated game Friday.
"It's not really in the area where the ligament is, it's more in the back of the elbow in the joint," Capuano said. "It was pretty discouraging. I had passed the bullpen test, but we got some hitters in there … and really the 'game speed' sliders are the ones where I felt it in the back of the elbow. The [type of pitches] where you're aggressive, trying to finish a hitter with a pitch.
"This was really an identical feeling when I was trying to come back from my second Tommy John in 2009 at Maryvale [Baseball Park, the Brewers' spring home]. I would pass the bullpen test, but when I would get to the live BP, I would have the exact same problem. Kind of a banging sensation in the back of the elbow."
Capuano did eventually overcome that sensation after several periods of prolonged rest. He made it back to the big leagues with the Brewers in 2010, then moved on to the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees again before re-signing with Milwaukee on a Minor League deal. He had a 4.13 ERA in 16 appearances out of Milwaukee's bullpen this season before the elbow issue sent him to the disabled list May 26.
"The positive thing is I've been through it and successfully rehabbed it before," Capuano said. "The negative is just the time. There's no way to rush it, there's no way to speed it up. We have to start from square one with the rehab. I'm hoping when I meet with Dr. Raasch we really give it a thorough exam and check out everything, just to give us peace of mind that the ligament is OK and everything else is OK.
"If that's OK, then you push forward."