BASEBALL
From coffee trucks to Manny Mania: MLB rehab assignments in Albuquerque
A look at the history of major league players rehabilitating in the Duke City
In the time-honored tradition of a generous rehabbing major leaguer opening his wallet to do something special for his temporary minor league teammates, Dodgers fan favorite Kik茅 Hern谩ndez did something unique last week.
Hern谩ndez hired a mobile coffee truck to set up outside the visiting clubhouse at Rio Grande Credit Union Field to make sure his temporary Oklahoma City teammates were properly caffeinated before their afternoon game on May 17.
Isotopes visiting clubhouse manager Ryan Maxwell didn鈥檛 have to look far to find the perfect choice: a small-business, female-owned truck named Enduro Espresso.
The owner is KyLee Dutton, an Isotopes promotions assistant who on Saturday night was on the microphone down on field asking the crowd 鈥渨ho wants a T-shirt?鈥� as cannons blasted shirts into the seats. Then Sunday morning, she mixed various Americanos and Lattes from a horse trailer her father helped her convert into a mobile coffee truck. Her mom, brother and sister-in-law took the orders and helped make drinks for the players.
The explosion of injuries in baseball has made it commonplace for stars, superstars and fringe major leaguers to return to the minor leagues on rehab assignments as a test before getting activated from the injured list.
Last year, the Isotopes faced future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw at Oklahoma City, then fellow rehabbing major leaguer Michael Kopech followed him on the mound. The Isotopes lineup featured three infielders on rehab assignments: Ezequiel Tovar, Tyler Freeman and Aaron Schunk.
On May 5 this year, the Isotopes faced three consecutive injured Astros pitchers in Sugar Land: Tatsuya Imai, Josh Hader and Nate Pearson. Proving why rehab assignments are usually a smart idea, that trio walked nine batters in 4 2/3 innings.
Former MVPs Cody Bellinger and Josh Hamilton have come to Albuquerque on a rehab assignment. So have Jeff Samardzija, Matt Kemp, Jason Schmidt and Carl Crawford. In 2015, 42-year-old rehabbing LaTroy Hawkins faced a 20-year-old Carlos Correa.
But it wasn鈥檛 always that way.
A new rule in 1980
Depending on how old you are, the idea of an injured player returning to the minors is still a relatively new concept. Dodgers pitcher Tommy John, the first patient in a revolutionary elbow surgery that is now named after him, did not come to Albuquerque, or anywhere, to test out his repaired elbow.
The rehab assignment was never even an option until it was added in a new collective bargaining agreement signed in the middle of the 1980 season between owners and players. The clause was so obscure it was barely reported.
Cardinals pitcher Silvio Martinez became the first injured MLB player to embark on what was then called an 鈥渋njury rehabilitation program.鈥� The maximum number of days was five. (It鈥檚 now 20 days for position players and 30 days for pitchers).
Teams were hesitant to take advantage of the new rule.
Dodgers pitcher Burt Hooten did not go on a rehab assignment to Albuquerque in 1982 after undergoing knee surgery. He just pitched simulated games against teammates.
Outfielder Mike Marshall dealt with numerous injuries throughout the 1980s 鈥� knee, back, appendectomy 鈥� but never played a rehab game in Albuquerque or anywhere else.
Based on my research, the first Dodgers player to go on a rehab assignment to Albuquerque probably was infielder Dave Anderson in 1985, five years after the rule was created.
鈥淚 assume they鈥檙e taking advantage of a rule that allows a player to play himself into shape,鈥� Dukes president and general manager Pat McKernan said in a May 16, 1985 Journal story that went to great lengths to explain that Anderson can stay for up to 20 days and does not count against the Dukes鈥� 23-man roster. (Triple-A rosters are now 28 players.)
That same year, the Dukes were expecting to see pitcher Bob Welch, in his recovery from an elbow injury. Instead, the Dodgers sent Welch to Single-A Vero Beach, where The Indian River Press Journal noted that Welch was the first major leaguer to play a regular season game for that team.
When Fernando Valenzuela was injured in 1988, he never pitched in a rehab assignment. In fact, though locals might claim they remember Valenzuela pitching in Albuquerque, it just never happened. He went straight from Double-A San Antonio to the majors in 1980 and never pitched for the Dukes. Ever.
Notable rehab assignments
The first star player to visit Albuquerque on a rehab assignment was Pedro Guerrero in 1988.
When it came to breaking the news that Guerrero was coming to the Albuquerque Sports Stadium, an Albuquerque Tribune reporter found the best source possible: Guerrero鈥檚 wife, Denise, who said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 for sure.鈥�
In a reversal of the norm, Guerrero had to convince the Dodgers to send him to Albuquerque. His motivations were likely two-fold: Yes, he wanted to get his swing timing back; but also, his wife lived in Rio Rancho and he was the co-owner of a shopping mall with his father-in-law, so the trip was a chance to see his family.
鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 want me to come, but I finally got the okay,鈥� Guerrero told The Journal in the July 24, 1988 edition. 鈥淚 need to play, but I don鈥檛 want to play (with the Dodgers) until I know I can help them. It鈥檚 been 40 days since I鈥檝e played a game.鈥�
The next high-profile rehab assignment to Albuquerque was Kirk Gibson in 1990. Two years after his legendary home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, Gibson was still recovering from the knee and leg injuries that hobbled him during his hero moment.
Gibson鈥檚 trip illustrated why the expectations from players going to a minor league city can be unrealistic. The Journal fielded phone calls from Albuquerque residents who said Gibson was rude at the stadium. The paper ran a sampling of opinions from Dukes fans.
鈥淚 get kind of disgusted watching a guy with such an attitude,鈥� 35-year-old B.J. Gunn was quoted as saying. 鈥淗e just ignores everyone. I don鈥檛 think he wants to be here and he looks down on Albuquerque.鈥�
The negative quotes inspired stadium security guard Mike Bittner to rush to Gibson鈥檚 defense, telling the Journal that Gibson stayed 鈥渦ntil 11:15 or 11:30 Friday night and was very patient with the group. He had to keep repeating to them, 鈥榖e patient, stand back.鈥� But he was one of the politest, nicest players.
鈥淗e signed all their cards, all their baseballs. The fans were the ones being rude.鈥�
Orel Hershiser did not come to Albuquerque when he was returning from major shoulder surgery in 1991. He pitched for the Dukes in Phoenix, twice for Single-A Bakersfield, and once for Double-A San Antonio.
Outfielder Darryl Strawberry鈥檚 trip to Albuquerque, as he tested his back after surgery, was a love fest in 1993.
The May 29 and June 2 editions of The Journal included photographs of Strawberry signing autographs on the field. Reporter Barbara Chavez鈥檚 story noted that Strawberry signed for two hours and 10 minutes after the game, without turning away a single fan.
鈥淚 appreciate the fans who came out to see me,鈥� said Strawberry, who wowed more than his teammates with his humble attitude.
Rich Harbin, the Dukes clubhouse manager, said Strawberry bought the team dinner after Friday鈥檚 game and never asked for any special treatment.
鈥淲ithout question, he was the classiest major league player I鈥檝e ever met,鈥� Harbin said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had Kirk Gibson and Pedro Guerrero in here, and they were both OK guys. But I think Darryl went way beyond what was expected of him 鈥�
鈥淚 expected him to be unhappy about being here, like a lot of big league players are. But he came in here to make the most of his assignment. And on top of that, he stayed late after every game to sign.鈥�
It鈥檚 unclear if Strawberry was the first player to pick up the tab on an expensive dinner for his temporary teammates. That鈥檚 really hard to research. But he was probably one of the first 鈥� and it shows the custom dates to at least 1993.
Throughout the rest of the 1990s, injuries increased in baseball, yet it was still uncommon for players to go on rehab assignments. You might get one or two per year 鈥� or go one or two years without any. A few more of the notable rehab assignments were former Rookie of the Year Todd Worrell in 1993 and All-Star Tim Wallach in 1995.
In 1997, future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray played nine games for the Dukes. It was not a rehab assignment. After the Angels released Murray, the Dodgers signed him and sent him to the Dukes to get in some at-bats before going back to the majors for what ended up being the final month of his career.
A young Paul Konerko was in awe of his new teammate, telling the Albuquerque Tribune, 鈥測ou鈥檙e just happy to be around him as a fan of the game.鈥�
Manny Mania: 3 days, 4 plate appearances
Of course, no story about rehabbing major leaguers in Albuquerque is complete without mentioning Manny Ramirez鈥檚 visit in 2009. Ramirez was the first player to be allowed to play rehab games after getting suspended for performance-enhancing drugs. Ramirez鈥檚 ethical mistake did not bother most fans.
Over three midweek games, with no promotions planned, the Isotopes drew 15,321 fans (the largest in team history at the time), 13,076 and 15,083. While a few people booed, they were drowned out by the immense cheers for everything Ramirez did.
After all the hype, Ramirez had just four plate appearances in his three days in Albuquerque: two in each of the first two games, then he was scratched from the third game after a one-hour rain delay.
Sometimes, strange things happen on rehab appearances.
In 2013, when pitchers still hit, Dodgers pitcher Chris Capuano was concerned about injuring his oblique, so he practiced his sacrifice bunts. Even with nobody on base, he squared around early and practiced a sacrifice bunt without even wanting to get a hit.
In 2014, fringe major leaguer Erisbel Arruebarrena was on a rehab assignment and took his time circling the bases after a home run in Reno, leading to an ugly brawl the next day with multiple players getting suspended.
What was once unique is now common
The El Paso Chihuahuas had five injured Padres on their roster earlier this season when they hosted the Isotopes.
Last year, in addition to Kershaw, the Isotopes faced Mariners pitcher George Kirby with Tacoma, Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. at Sugar Land and Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki in Oklahoma City.
Two years ago, the Isotopes went to Sacramento and faced former Cy Young award winner Robbie Ray and All-Star Alex Cobb in consecutive games. The Isotopes had former MVP Kris Bryant in their lineup, on his own rehab assignment.
By now, most major leaguers remember what it was like when they were an upcoming minor leaguer and a rehabbing big leaguer joined them. They remember the generous postgame spread and chance to observe how someone who has reached their own goal prepares.
Rockies legend Charlie Blackmon joined the Isotopes in Round Rock in 2023 for two days. In a pregame radio interview with me, Blackmon flashed back to when Troy Tulowitzi joined his minor league team on a rehab assignment, and another time when opponent Josh Hamilton 鈥渉it a ball like 800 feet.鈥�
鈥淚t was always really interesting, so cool to see guys taken out of their big league competition and drop them into a minor league setting,鈥� said Blackmon, who turned a basic hitter鈥檚 meeting into an extended Q&A for around an hour. 鈥淯ltimately, I鈥檓 here to get ready to play again. But I remember what it was like when I was in the minors. I鈥檒l spend some time with the guys. Hopefully, I can help them in some way, connect with the guys. I鈥檓 excited to do it.鈥�
As a Cardinals minor leaguer, pitcher Austin Gomber remembered how the stadium was livelier when star catcher Yadier Molina and pitcher Adam Wainwright visited on rehab assignments. Paying it forward, Gomber took the entire Isotopes team out to a dinner at a restaurant in Sacramento before starting the season opener last year.
鈥淲hen I came up through the minors, I had a fair share of big league guys come down on rehab,鈥� Gomber told me in a pregame radio interview. 鈥淭hey always did something, whether it was paying dues or buying dinner, the list goes on. I thought it would be better if we could go sit down in a restaurant on an off day, instead of bringing food into the clubhouse postgame. You try to take care of those guys, build the culture. Hopefully these guys will get five, six, seven years in the majors. If they have to come on a rehab, I want them to remember what it was like, and you continue the tradition on.鈥�
Josh Suchon is the Isotopes play-by-play announcer, a former newspaper reporter, three-time book author and voiceover artist.
