September 8, 2017, was a very unfortunate and early end to the Milwaukee Brewers playoff hopes. September 8, 2017, also marked the early end to the season for starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson due to a serious injury while sliding back into first base.
Well on his way to putting together his best season in his career, all good things must come to an end, which was an abrupt way of ending Nelson’s 2017 season. While told his chances of ever throwing a baseball again at the MLB level were slim to none, that motivation was enough to get him ahead of his expected rehab schedule and back into pitching at a high level.
Having undergone surgery the following day, Nelson’s trip back to the majors was quickly jump-started once receiving the OK from the medical staff. The injury, which consisted of repairing his rotator cuff, labrum and shoulder capsule, was a big-time hurdle that Nelson needed to overcome, and he had even more bumps in the road during his recovery process too.
While aggressive, the team was hoping that Nelson could provide some sort of help towards the end of the 2018 campaign, one in which the team fell one game short of making the World Series, falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. Along the way of his rehab, it was determined that there was no need to rush Nelson back for the 2018 campaign, which was a great way to have Nelson build up his arm strength and overcome any longevity issues he may face.
During the spring of 2019, Nelson was on track to leave spring training with the team in one of the five roles in the starting rotation. Unfortunately, having dealt with some elbow discomfort, Nelson’s timeframe to rejoin the squad was pushed back a bit as he was put on the shelf for a bit before getting back into a pitching routine.
Nelson’s comeback tour next made a stop at the Triple-A affiliate for the Brewers, the San Antonio Missions, where he pitched in five games and won three with a 3.75 ERA across 24 innings. Looking for a spot to make his return to the big leagues, the Brewers had a few starting pitching injuries, as both Gio Gonzalez and Jhoulys Chacin are currently on the Injury List with varying ailments.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019, marked the first day back in the majors in almost two years for Nelson, which also happened to coincide with his 30th birthday. There are not many better birthday presents out there than what Nelson got from the Brewers today, especially with the warm welcome that the fan base provided Nelson as he made his way back onto the mound where he made a name for himself across five seasons for Milwaukee.
In his first start, Nelson was a bit rocky with his control, allowing five runs (four earned) across four innings with three walks. His trouble inning was the third, walking the bases loaded before serving up a grand slam to the Marlins Brian Anderson on the first pitch of the at-bat.
65 pitches in a game that the Brewers needed Nelson to go deep was not a great showing, but one that showed a ton of promise and had flashy moments that reminded fans of the kind of pitcher that Nelson was when he was on top of his game. While not reasonably being able to expect top-notch pitching from Nelson in his first game back, the Brewers have every reason to be excited for what Nelson is able to bring to the starting rotation to their team this season and beyond.
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