Chad Bettis took the next step towards pitching in the big leagues again when he completed a live bullpen session today. It was only a couple of weeks ago that Bettis threw his first bullpen after being cleared of cancer on June 2. With Bettis now pitching to live batters in a practice environment, the next step will be a rehab assignment with one of the Rockies’ minor league teams.
Considering it was only a few months ago that Bettis received the bad news that his cancer had returned, it’s awesome to see Bettis so close to pitching in an actual baseball game again. There may still be a fairly lengthy rehab assignment before Bettis is ready for big-league action, but even pitching in the minors will be a huge accomplishment.
After the session, Bettis talked with the media, and MLB.com’s Max Gelman was polite enough to share it with the rest of us via twitter.
Chad Bettis speaks to the media after his live BP (1/2). #Rockies pic.twitter.com/GudJhbwo3l
— Max Gelman (@MaxGelman) July 4, 2017
Chad Bettis speaks after his live BP session, part ✌️ #Rockies pic.twitter.com/f6Jux2C6zZ
— Max Gelman (@MaxGelman) July 4, 2017