Vogelsong has no doubt of return this season
PITTSBURGH — There have been many assumptions made that Ryan Vogelsong’s career is over.
However, the veteran right-hander isn’t making any of them.
In the fact, Vogelsong has no doubt he will return to the mound for the Pirates this season. In fact, he all but guaranteed it before Monday night’s opener of a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants at PNC Park.
“I don’t see any reason why I won’t,” he said as he sat at his locker.
Voglesong suffered multiple facial fractures May 23 when struck in the left eye by a pitch from the Colorado Rockies’ Jordan Lyles in a game at PNC Park. The injury was so severe that was hospitalized for three nights.
It was easy to fear the worse when Vogelsong was carted from the field that day. His eye was swollen shut and the towel he held to his face was full of blood.
“I was scared to death,” Vogelsong said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen. You don’t even think about baseball at that point. You think about if you’re going to be able to see out of the eye again, wonder if you’re still going to be able to live a normal live.”
The 38-year-old still has swelling underneath his eye. However, his sight is back to normal.
“The swelling makes it look worse than I feel,” Vogelsong said. “I feel great. I’ve got 20-20 vision again.”
Of course, having 20-20 vision does not necessarily equate to being able to return to the field.
Vision problems can put any player, including pitchers in particularly, at risk. The pitcher’s mound is just 60 feet, 6 inches from home plate and line drives can come back up the middle at speeds in excess of 100 mph, leaving reaction time at less than a second.
Yet, Vogelsong says he has experienced no problems when it comes to various movements with his head.
“I can move my head side to side, up and down, all the things you might have to do when you’re pitching and the vision is fine,” Vogelsong said. “I have no worries whatsoever about that.”
The beleaguered pitching staff could use Vogelsong. He is 1-1 with a 3.74 ERA in 12 games, including two starts, this season, which stands out on a team whose 4.45 ERA ranked 10th among the 15 National League teams going into Monday.
Vogelsong is on the 60-day disabled list and won’t be eligible to be activated until July 24. The Pirates host the Philadelphia Phillies and that day and Vogelsong would love to put back on the roster that Sunday afternoon.
“I know it’s still going to take some time to heal, but I can’t wait to get back,” he said.