After watching him throw a 28-pitch bullpen session earlier today, Rich Dubee announced that Roy Halladay had completely recovered from his shoulder strain and will start when the team visits the Dodgers on Tuesday. Halladay–who has not started a game since May 27, and has been on the DL since May 29–will be on a pitch count, though how high that number is unclear at this time.
Halladay pitched three innings for Class-A Clearwater on Thursday and felt no soreness afterwards.
Doc’s return is a welcome one, as the team has gone just 12-27 since he’s been out, a period when the Phils really dropped out of contention for a division title or wild card birth.
The important thing at this point is getting Halladay back and throwing at 100%. He had gone 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA before landing on the DL. His performance was sub-par by the standard of his loft career numbers, but there’s no telling just how bothered Halladay was by shoulder issues. He’s healthy now and the team will need him to return to form, not only for the rest of this season, but in preparation for next season as well.
