Even though the blood clot in his leg delayed his ACL surgery, Mariano Rivera is still hoping he can make it back in time to pitch for the Yankees during the final month of the season.
“That’s my goal,” Rivera said on Michael Kay’s radio show Monday. “Definitely, that’s my goal. I’m not thinking about it because if it doesn’t happen, I will be disappointed. So I’m taking it day by day. I’m working hard and doing what I’m supposed to do. I don’t want to put something in my mind.”
Rivera, who was injured May 3, only underwent surgery for the torn ligament on June 12, which seemed to rule out any chance of a return this year. His rehab is going well, though, and Rivera thinks he could make it back around the three-month mark. If anyone can pull off that kind of recovery at age 42, it’s Mariano.
