Derek Holland Encouraged By Rehab Appearance

Derek Holland is on the road back to the rotation, and based on what he saw and felt on Wednesday, he’s feeling pretty good about his return.

Pitching in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Round Rock, Holland gave up one run over three innings and threw 39 pitches. In his next scheduled start with Round Rock, Holland will have a (Rockies-esque) limit of 75 pitches.

Even after such a short appearance, Holland was encouraged by his return to live action.

“There was no pain at all, so I feel really good about that,” Holland said, per the Dallas Morning News. “I was off with my location, but for the most part I felt like everything else was good. I was very excited to get out there, yet I tried to control things and not try to overdo it.”

Of course, the Rangers are looking forward to Holland’s return. As the Morning News’ Gerry Fraley points out today, Texas has had four starting pitchers head to the disabled list since May 19.

“We’re dropping like flies,” Holland said of the Texas rotation. “Last year we didn’t have anyone go down, but this year we’ve kind of hit some bumps, bruises and taking a beating.”