John Lannan will not go into the fifth-starter competition hamstrung, writes Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.
The left-hander, who underwent season-ending surgery last August to repair a large tear in the tendon in his quadriceps, was cleared to work out unrestricted in January and is already throwing off a mound in camp.
“I’ve been working without limits for the last month and a half,” Lannan said. “It feels really good right now. I’m exactly where I need to be. I’m off a mound. I’m ready to compete.”
Lannan, 29, joins a crowded field that includes Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jenrry Mejia, Rafael Montero and Jacob deGrom for that fifth spot in the rotation.
“It’s always good to kind of have some young arms and older guys compete for a spot,” Lannan told Rubin.
While I think it will take some doing to wrestle the job away from Mejia, this was a solid signing that could prove very useful when some of our younger pitchers start approaching their innings limits. He brings some veteran experience that may even come in handy should any of our top five become ineffective or miss time with an injury.
(Photo: David Goldman, AP)
