The White Sox hit the off switch on recovering right-hander and promising closer Zack Burdi on Thursday. He was shut down from action in the Arizona Fall League with arm “fatigue” and sent home for a period of rest this offseason.
“What I’ve expressed, and what the Sox have expressed back to me, is that this was a long process — 15 months — and my arm was getting tired. It was time to just relax,” said Burdi in a phone call to MLB.com from Phoenix on Friday. “We worked 15 months and there’s got to be a little down time during the offseason in order for it to work and in order for it to bounce back.
The news of Burdi’s scale-back was alarming at first, but it seems that the organization is strong in their belief that he needs rest. Burdi added a few more thoughts on his recovery and the optimism he is taking with him as he prepares for 2019.
“Take these next six weeks and allow that to happen, and really focus on nutrition and physical therapy and offseason training that I really haven’t been able to do the last year. It’s going to be a good six weeks to mold myself back into what I believe gives me the best shot at what I’m trying to reach and get into a throwing program and getting ready for spring.”
Burdi was the 26th-overall pick in 2016 out of the University of Louisville and his triple-digit heater was blazing a path to the majors before he was tripped up in early 2017. In limited action in the AZL (4 2/3 innings) Burdi blanked the opposition through five outings, but according to second-hand reports from James Fegan of The Athletic, his velocity was down in the mid-90s.
“It kind of showed me I’m on the right track,” Burdi said. “Everything is good, trusting the process. … I was really excited with the Fall League and my five outings.
“I faced a lot of guys that were big name dudes in their respective organizations and had really competitive at-bats. There’s a lot of positives to take away. At the end of the day, the whole point was to end the recovery healthy, and we did that. It was time to shut it down after a long 15 months of rehab and throwing. Definitely happy that I’m healthy going into the offseason.”
Believe it or not, Burdi wasn’t always known as a flamethrower. The news that he velocity was down, concerning though it may be, is part of what Burdi endured as a freshman at Louisville. He had to build his up to a 100-mile-per-hour fastball since he typically sat at 89-91 as a freshman.
“My freshman year of college I was 89-to-91 and worked my tail off to get to where I was at the end of my junior year. I wasn’t blessed with a great arm. It’s something I had to work for, for a good amount of time. I’m aware I have to go back to that process and put myself through that, day in and day out workouts and preparation, in order to get back to that point.
“I’m ready to do that. I haven’t really been too focused on it and not too concerned where my velocity is at. I’m more concerned about being able to throw strikes and compete in at-bats. I was able to do that with what I had in me. That’s great. That’s a positive, and it’s something that I should hang my hat on.”
Yes, 100 mph off the backstop is not nearly as effective as 100 mph spotted in, out, up, down, but let’s be honest: We want that heater to be back where it was before Tommy John surgery. And I’m hopeful it will.
“They have given a good reading on me,” Burdi said. “I hit a (95) and showed some (96) and (97), which apparently doesn’t sit well with some people, but it’s Tommy John. It’s something you have to work for. It’s a tough recovery.
Focusing on the good news is a true offseason luxury. Burdi mentioned that a full recovery for 2019 was always the timeline for him and the White Sox medical team, so if he is throwing pain-free and all he needs is rest, I’m happy. But don’t get your hopes too high for an early debut in Chicago. The kid will spend some time in the minors before the White Sox consider bringing him up to the show.
