CHICAGO — Joel Peralta may not be back to 100 percent, but it sure feels good to return to the Los Angeles Dodgers after missing about nine weeks of the season.
“I’m 90-something (percent),” the 39-year-old Dodgers right-hander said prior to the opening of a four-game series at Wrigley Field. “The velocity is almost normal, it’s just that I have to pitch games to get back into shape and get my pitches right.”
Peralta (1-0) last appeared for Los Angeles on April 23, when he entered in the eighth and walked two in a one-third inning outing against the Giants.He then missed the next 53 games sidelined with right shoulder soreness and a pinched nerve in his neck.
Peralta recently worked five minor league rehab games in nine days, including two with Triple-A Oklahoma City last Thursday and Friday.
“I hit 89-90 (miles per hour) in my rehab assignment, that’s where I normally am,” he said.
But Peralta said working major league games will be the final step in regaining full effectiveness.
“I pitched a couple of games in the minor leagues, but that won’t give you everything you need, you always need some more.”
Now in his 11th big league season, Peralta was acquired by the Dodgers in November 2014 in a trade with Tampa Bay that also included left-hander Adam Liberatore in exchange for right-handers Jose Dominguez and Greg Harris.