Happ hopes to rejoin Blue Jays by All-Star break
Left-hander continues recovery after taking liner off head on May 7
Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ told ESPN that he is aiming for a return by the All-Star break. The veteran southpaw was hit in the head by a line drive on May 7 and hasn't pitched since.
The liner off the bat of Tampa Bay's Desmond Jennings left Happ with a fractured skull, contusions and a sprained right knee.
"I was in a brace for several weeks and am now moving, jogging and regaining athleticism," Happ told ESPN. "I began running again three or four days ago, and I'm not quite there yet as far as cutting or turning."
After watching the Rays' Alex Cobb take a batted ball to the head last week -- on the same mound he did -- Happ called the incident "eerie."
"Obviously, it was in the same park and it was almost the same, except he's a righty and got hit on the right side," Happ said in the interview.
Happ is currently working out in Dunedin, Fla., at the Blue Jays' Minor League facility. He's progressed far enough that he was able to throw off a mound without a knee brace.