May 11, 2008 Doug Davis made his first minor league rehab start on Saturday. He allowed six hits and two runs over 4.2 innings at Triple-A Tucson. Davis is expected to make one more start before moving back to the majors, the Arizona Republic reports.
Our View:Barring an injury to another starter, Davis will likely replace Max Scherzer in the rotation. We assume the club may also choose to use this opportunity to skip Randy Johnson and let the Big Unit rest his back. We'll let you know when they make a decision.
May 8, 2008 Doug Davis had a CT scan on Thursday that showed the his thyroid cancer has not spread and that his surgery was a success, according to MLB.com. "The cancer did not spread and it will not spread from here on out," Davis said.
Our View:Apparently Davis also hasn't been effected by the lethargy that often hits cancer patients who take the medicine he is on. At this point, it appears that Davis is well on his way to returning to the D'backs rotation in a matter of weeks.
May 6, 2008 Doug Davis threw a simulated game on Monday, according to the East Valley Tribune. Davis was pleased with his command in a 65-pitch simulated game, which came 25 days after his cancerous thyroid was removed and a week after a radiation iodine treatment kept him isolated for three days. Jeff Salazar said, "He looked real good, just as good as every other big leaguer we've been facing. He buckled me one time on a breaking ball. Strike three." Manager Bob Melvin also commented that his endurance was better than expected.
Our View:Davis expects to make a rehab start at Triple-A Tucson on Saturday, and the Diamondbacks are planning for him to make one more start before returning from the DL, a move that could potentially push rookie phenom Max Scherzer to the bullpen. Davis is taking aim at a return to the team during the May 16-18 home series against Detroit.
May 4, 2008 Doug Davis is making good progress in his recovery from thyroid cancer surgery, according to the Arizona Republic. Davis began taking radioactive iodine pills Tuesday and was quarantined at home the past three days. He noted he had to stay at least three feet away from people. He was expecting the treatment to leave him drained of energy, but he was pleasantly surprised by how he has felt, and he said, "I expected the worst, and I was very fortunate not to get sick, not to feel any fatigue, nothing. I don't know why. I'm fortunate, I guess." Davis originally hoped to be back with the Diamondbacks by next weekend but said that's no longer realistic. He is planning to make his first rehab start Monday in extended spring training or Tuesday for Triple-A Tucson. He hopes he can be back after two rehab starts.
Our View:Davis is now taking aim at a return to the Diamondbacks during the May 16-18 home series against Detroit.
April 11, 2008 The team stated that Doug Davis' thyroid cancer surgery was a success, according to the East Valley Tribune. That is good news, but no other details were released as of yet.
