Poche (elbow) said Saturday that he received clearance to resume pitching ahead of fall instructionals, and he expects to be a full participant when the MLB lockout ends and big leaugers report to spring training, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The 28-year-old hasn't pitched in a competitive setting since the 2019 postseason after undergoing the second Tommy John surgery of his career in July 2020. The track record of pitchers returning from two reconstructive elbow injuries isn't a promising one, so the Rays could still look to limit his usage this spring out of an abundance of caution. When he was last healthy during his rookie season in the majors, Poche was one of the top strikeout artists among relievers, whiffing 34.8 percent of the batters he faced.