September 1, 2031
Santa Fe, NMLong Beach Independent staff prospect writer Gary Tinstaap reports in with some unusual news from AAA. All-Star pitcher
Jose Lozano, who tore his meniscus on July 21st of this year was spotted in the visitors clubhouse at Magnum XL Field "The Rock," home of the Austin Rattlers (AAA affiliate of the Outlaws). Lozano was expected to be out for the year, or at the very best, the end of the playoffs. Lozano politely declined requests for interviews at the field today, but Tinstaap was able to speak with an anonymous source in the organization.
According to someone in the know, Lozano has been chomping at the bit since mid August, claiming that he can pitch through the knee injury. Apparently he was persistent enough to convince management to allow him to attempt a comeback. It's even more shocking when you consider that Lozano has been proven to be injury prone in his career so far, missing significant time in 2030 due to rotator cuff inflammation.
So far in 2031, Lozano has pitched well and been a little unlucky, with his FIP at an excellent 3.47 but with an ERA north of 4, likely due to an inflated .329 BABIP. Though the Surfers have plenty of starting pitching depth at the moment, even with
Esteban Gil on the mend, it never hurts to get a solid pitcher back in the mix. One hopes though that pitching through this knee injury doesn't result in further injury, especially to his arm.