Minneapolis – Danny Coulombe has had a strong start this season. He has yet to give up a run in 17 innings of work over 20 relief appearances and has an impressive 31.1% strikeout rate with a 3.3% walk rate to complement it.
So it was a surprise when he said he had been pitching with a sore left forearm through his first 19 appearances of the season. The Minnesota Twins have shut Coulombe down since May 14, with the official diagnosis being an extensor strain in his left forearm.
“I only took five days off of not playing catch,” Coulombe said. “So, generally, the rule of thumb is it’s about however long you took off, plus half, or one in half. So that was like seven days, so I got the two weeks I needed to get back and I feel good.”
The time off worked well in Coulombe’s favor. He began his rehab assignment on Friday in St. Paul and needed only nine pitches to get three outs. It was enough for Minnesota’s medical staff to give Coulombe the green light to return to the team before the Toronto Blue Jays series was over last weekend.
Minnesota typically puts players on long rehab assignments when they return from the IL. Matt Wallner is the latest example. Wallner started his rehab assignment on Thursday, May 22, and didn’t rejoin the Twins lineup until a week later, even though he hit five home runs and 13 RBI in six rehab games.
The assignments are typically cut short when the Twins need a player immediately to fill a roster spot that requires a replacement. That wasn’t the case for Coulombe, who was good to go after Friday’s Saints game.
“Danny really wasn’t out very long, so the timing of it is obviously going to be one of the main factors, too,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. “I think there are a lot of pitchers that miss close to the minimum or just over minimum that are going to be fine to return without a rehab assignment.
“Danny, I don’t think there was a ton of debate over if he needed several rehab outings. I don’t think that was something that was in the cards unless it was something someone felt strongly about, and no one did.”
Immediately after Minnesota activated him from the IL, Coulombe was warming up in the bullpen during Sunday’s 6-3 win over the Jays. He didn’t come into the game, but the Twins had every reason to trust he was ready to go. Two days later, Coulombe came in to get the last out in the top of the eighth during Minnesota’s 16-4 loss to the Rangers and threw just two pitches to get it.
“We just wanted to get him in the game,” said Baldelli on his brief appearance Tuesday. “We put him in that spot just for a reason, just get him out there with a couple outs, let him take the mound again. Just kind of get back out there.”
Despite the small sample size for fans to evaluate Coulombe’s return, his numbers indicate that Coulombe can pick up where he left off before his IL stint as one of baseball’s best left-handed relievers.
“Yeah, I feel great,” he said. “I feel much better than I did pre-IL, so we got everything lined up and I feel great.”
Even with the limited time on the mound in the last five days, there’s no reason to believe the Twins will limit how they will use Coulombe in his role out of the bullpen. That will help Minnesota’s bullpen bounce back after being without an exclusive left-handed reliever to match up against left-handed batters.
“I don’t have any [limitations]. I haven’t been told of any,” Baldelli said. “We’re going to pitch him.”