Stephen Drew returns to action

Diamondbacks shortstop Stephen Drew took ground balls at Salt
River Fields today for the first time since having ankle surgery last
July. Drew has been working out non-stop since the injury but it’s
the first time he’s seen any action on the baseball field.

Manager Kirk Gibson was happy to see him back out there.

“He moved a lot better than I thought he would, to be honest with
you. We put him through agility stuff and Matty (Williams) hit him
some ground balls and then they went over and hit in the batting
cage,” Gibson said. “We shut him down and did some things to cool
him down properly. We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. Big step,
first time he’s been on the field with grounders.”

Gibson talked about Drew’s work ethic as well, saying that Drew
finally took a week off — his first since undergoing surgery for a
fractured right ankle and ligament damage last July.

Drew was injured sliding into home plate against the Brewers when
his cleats caught in the ground and his ankle got twisted
underneath him.

Gibson did end Drew’s injury update Monday with guarded
optimism.

“We’ll take him slow. We’re not going to push him at this point. But
he’s still got a long way to go for sure.”

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