Mental discipline key for Rasmussen's return after 3 elbow procedures

This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Drew Rasmussen is, unfortunately, no stranger to the injury rehabilitation process.

Rasmussen had his first Tommy John surgery in March 2016 and his second in August 2017. Only a handful of pitchers have returned and thrived after two such procedures, but Rasmussen was one of them.

The right-hander reached the big leagues as a reliever with the Brewers and, after being part of Tampa Bay’s return for shortstop Willy Adames, Rasmussen came into his own as a starter with the Rays. He moved into their rotation in 2021, started in the postseason, posted a 2.84 ERA over 28 starts in ’22 and had one of the most dominant starts of his career at Yankee Stadium on May 11, 2023.

The next day, he was placed on the 60-day injured list. About two months later, on July 24, he underwent an internal brace procedure rather than a third Tommy John surgery.

Few pitchers have successfully come back from three major elbow procedures, but Rasmussen didn’t let his mind drift that far ahead. Instead, Rasmussen -- as disciplined and detail-oriented as they come -- focused on his day-to-day work.

“I had the same schedule every single day in the training room. I had the same schedule every single day in the offseason back home. I had the exact same schedule every single day once we got back into Spring Training and then the transition back into season,” Rasmussen said recently. “Monday through Saturday, I could have told you exactly what I was going to be doing down to just about the minute. And I think that really helps, right?

“You're not sitting there wondering about a long-term outcome. All you're trying to do is take care of the task at hand.”

That day-to-day approach brought Rasmussen back to the big leagues in a different role, but as intense and competitive as ever. The 29-year-old returned to the mound at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on Aug. 7, and he’s pitched well in four appearances since then, with all three runs he’s allowed over seven innings coming in one outing as an opener against the Orioles on Aug. 10.

“If anybody can do it, he's one that can do it,” Rays starter Jeffrey Springs said. “I don't think there's many people with three elbow surgeries in the big leagues, if any. But, I mean, if you saw him, the work ethic, the stuff he does in the training room, the stuff he does in the weight room, the way he prepares, I mean, it's unbelievable.

“His attention to detail in everything he does -- everything -- there's a routine, there's a reason for it. He absolutely works his butt off. If somebody can overcome the challenges that he's been through, it's him. ... If you could see it behind the scenes, it's incredible.”

Rasmussen used the same word -- “incredible” -- to describe getting back on the mound in St. Louis earlier this month, likening the feeling of that “random Wednesday in August” to Opening Day or a postseason game. As focused as he is on living in the moment, Rasmussen said he and his wife, Stevie, took some time to appreciate and celebrate his journey back.

So did pitching coach Kyle Snyder.

“It's pretty remarkable. Just the perseverance, the attitude which he's carried through it all, and to go out there and perform the way he did the first time being back in the big leagues?” Snyder said. “Just proud of him, proud of our group, our team, medical staff, [assistant pitching and rehab coach] Rick Knapp and certainly, obviously, Ras.

“He's about as self-motivated a player as I've ever been around and easily as hard a worker as I've been around. I think to a lot of people in this clubhouse, it's not too much of a surprise, but still, it needs to be recognized how impressive it's been.”

Rasmussen will continue to pitch in a one- or two-inning role the rest of this season, which will include some work as an opener and more traditional relief appearances. Taking that track helped Rasmussen return to the Majors quicker, get some innings under his belt and manage his workload coming back from surgery.

His stuff has ticked up as a result, with his fastball averaging 97.1 mph so far -- the same as 2021 -- compared to 95.5 in 2022 and 95.7 in ’23. He said he’ll discuss his future role with Rays management this offseason, whether he’s best suited to starting or relieving.

For now, once again, he’s staying focused on the task at hand.

“[Manager Kevin Cash] and Snydes and [president of baseball operations] Erik [Neander] and the entire organization has been great,” Rasmussen said, “just making sure that I feel good and just communicating and being willing to have conversations moving forward and the understanding that let's just worry about today, today.”