Jimmy Nelson will pitch in a game for the first time since shoulder surgery on Monday

Jimmy Nelson is getting closer to a full return from shoulder surgery. After a successful simulated game yesterday, he’s on track for his next step: An appearance in an actual game.

Yesterday, Jimmy Nelson made an appearance in a simulated game for the first time since his injury. Overall, the session was a success. Adam McCalvy watched the game and saw that Jimmy Nelson was throwing 90 and 91 in the appearance, which is a little below his velocity from before the injury (his average velocity was 94 MPH, according to FanGraphs). However, during today’s radio broadcast, Eric Kratz was on and said that Nelson a few pitches in the 93-94 range, which is a good sign. Also, the more important part of it is that he came out of it feeling fine.

With 20 days until Opening Day, Jimmy Nelson still has some work to do to get ready for the season. He still needs to build up his arm strength, get his velocity up, as well as his stamina. There’s a good chance he will start the season on the IL as he continues to get to full strength, but we will have to see how these next few weeks go. For now, the signs are positive that Jimmy Nelson will be contributing during the 2019 season.