Koda Glover rehabbing pain in shoulder, shut down until November

Nationals right-hander Koda Glover returned to the clubhouse Friday after rehabbing in Florida since mid-June. Glover had been placed on the disabled list June 11 with lower back stiffness. It was his second trip to the DL. Back in late April, he worked through a left hip impingement.

Despite all that time on the disabled list, there was optimism about a month ago that Glover might be able to return to pitch for the team before the end of the season.

But on Saturday, Glover confirmed he has been shut down due to pain in his shoulder. The plan now is to work on strengthening his shoulder for the next month and a half in hopes of a return to baseball activities by mid-November.

Attempts to help Glover recover during the rehab did not work out as well as he had hoped. Throughout the process, Glover and the Nats were eyeing a return to play before the regular season ended. Unfortunately, Glover kept feeling pain in his shoulder.

"The protocol we attacked it with wasn't the right one," Glover said. "I had a couple setbacks. I got three injections this year. At the end of the last injection, I was feeling really good. I was coming back. I got off the mound three times. The day after that third bullpen, my entire shoulder locked up. It got tight. Shut it down that day, came back the next. He asked if I wanted to play catch. I said, 'Absolutely.' Went out there and played catch. It got worse. I played catch two days after my injection. What it comes down to was I needed more time than two days.

Glover saw the days begin to pile up. He watched as the Nats continued to run away with the National League East division. He wanted to come back to his team.

"With the season winding down, we were kind of rushing it a little bit," Glover said. "Typically, it's 14-21 days. It was two days after (the injecton). So I just ran out of time. It's like putting a band-aid on it and just ripping it off. It doesn't really do anything. Shut down 'til mid-November. Then I'll pick up a ball three days a week. If I'm pain-free, we'll go from there. If not, we'll do some more rehab and prolong the throwing program."

Glover dealt with the hip issue at the end of last season. But he says that issue has been resolved. Now it's all about rehabbing his throwing shoulder.

"That got brought up. But I haven't had any problems with my hip," Glover confirmed. "The hip's been healthy ever since it got rehabbed last year. No problems with it. It is what it is. You got so many bullets and I got hurt. Then it's just taking the next step now just getting healthy and coming back for next year."

Glover was excited to return to the clubhouse this week. He tweeted a message to the fans that he would support the club as they approached the post season.

THX all @Nationals fans who've wished me well! I'm SO pissed not 2 be able 2 go but will support the guys & KEEP workin' my a$$ off for '18!

-- Koda Glover (@koda_glover) September 13, 2017

"As of right now, I'm in pretty good spirits," Glover said. "I was around my kid a little bit. He helped me out a lot as far as getting away from all the frustration I've had this year. It's been a rough year on me. Other than Tommy John (in) 2012, I've never been hurt. So it's one of those things where I guess maybe it's catching up to me.

"I'm just trying to get healthy and ready for next year and support the team. I had a great welcome from all the guys. It's nice seeing all the guys. I'm gonna be a little cheerleader for the remaining part of the year. Hopefully these guys can pull it out and win a World Series."

How did the injury occur? Was he making it worse because of the way he delivered the baseball?

"I don't necessarily think it's a mechanical thing," Glover said. "I think it's just more of a rest thing. Being drafted just two years ago and not being used to this load played a pretty big key in it. But now that I know and I'm wiser as far as the work load, I think I can make the adjustment."

Glover will not have to have surgery. His game plan now is to concentrate fully on strengthening his shoulder. He must have full strength returned before he can resume baseball related activities.

"Got an MRI. Everything's good structurally," Glover detailed. "I have bursitis, tendinitis and two strains. All three of those are pretty minor things. But they're all at once. So it turned into a big problem. If I had continued to throw, it could have led to a second Tommy John and something else blowing out. So I think it was a pretty wise decision to shut things down."

The setbacks have weighed on Glover's mind. This recent shoulder issue has forced Glover to focus on what his body tells him when it signals pain. He says now he will no longer fight through the pain.

"I'm a lot more concerned with my body now," Glover said. "Use to, I was kind of like, whatever. I think being young and immature kind of plays a role in that, you kind of feel invincible sometimes. But now definitely, I've been humbled. I've taken a step back, got to reevaluate a lot of things. I'm definitely going to be smarter about my body from now on."