WASHINGTON -- Bronson Arroyo's comeback continues. The 39-year-old right-hander is currently pitching for the Gulf Coast Nationals and is hoping to do the same for the big league club after the All-Star break.
Arroyo has had mixed results thus far with the GCL team. In his first game, on June 26, he allowed five runs in 4 2/3 innings, but he pitched five shutout innings on Saturday.
The Nationals are not sure whether Arroyo will be a starter or a reliever, but he said last month that he would do anything to help the team win.
Manager Dusty Baker would be happy to have Arroyo contribute.
"This guy brings a knowledge and wisdom to [the art of] pitching," Baker said. "This guy is a hard, hard worker. He texted me the other day and thanked me for asking him to stick with it, because he says he feels great. Who knows? Maybe at some point in time, he may be able to help us this year."
During Spring Training, Arroyo had partial tears in his rotator cuff tendons and said he would retire if the injury required surgery. He took four weeks off from pitching and worked on strengthening the shoulder. When he was ready to pitch again, he threw sidearm for about five weeks. Then he started playing catch and told the coaches he could throw "over the top again."
"I'm open to anything right now," Arroyo said. "On a personal level, I received almost everything that I wanted to get out of this game. At this point it's about being on a ballclub and having an opportunity to win."