With the Arizona Complex League season ending this week, the rehab process for outfield prospect Brennen Davis was going to have to head somewhere else. Sounds like it’s going to be the Chicago Cubs’ High-A affiliate in South Bend next.
And if that goes to plan, Davis will be back at his “normal” level soon after:
Davis, 22, dealt with discomfort in Spring Training, struggled out of the gate at Triple-A, and eventually had to go under the knife in early June. That surgery – it was affecting his back, but wasn’t quite what you think of as “back surgery” – addressed a vascular malformation that was pressing on a nerve, causing the discomfort. Because the surgery wound up being not necessarily as dramatic as it could have been, there was immediate hope that Davis could return to action this season. And so it has come to pass.
If Davis can get back to Iowa by next week, he would have just about a full month of games left on the calendar. That’d be a really nice to way to steer into the offseason, where it’s possible Davis could make up some additional game action in the Arizona Fall League or in winter ball.
Whatever the level or the results, though, it’s just good to get him back into game action this year. This is a guy who, when healthy, has always raked. There’s a reason he was considered a top 25 prospect coming into Spring Training this year, and if the back issue was at the root of his early season struggles, and if it has been fully addressed, then right now really is just about making up for lost time.