Rafael Betancourt hasn’t pitched since having an emergency appendectomy on July 20, but the Rockies closer is finally nearing a return from the disabled list.
Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports that Betancourt threw a simulated game Monday, with manager Walt Weiss saying afterward that “it went really well” and “the plan is for him to go out and pitch on Thursday.”
Thursday’s outing would be at Triple-A, so presumably if things continue to go well Betancourt could rejoin the Rockies by next week. Rex Brothers has thrived as the fill-in closer, but Betancourt was very good in the ninth-inning role before having his appendix removed.
