Lakeland, Fla. — Jake Rogers, wearing a cowboy hat as he sat in the clubhouse Sunday morning, didn’t need to look up the date.
“July 18, 2021,” he said.
That was the last time he caught in a competitive baseball game. He doubled in four at-bats that day, while helping Wily Peralta, Buck Farmer and Alex Lange stitch nine innings of shutout ball in a 7-0 win over the Twins at Comerica Park.
His start behind the plate Sunday in a Grapefruit League game against the Orioles was his first in 588 days, his first since recovering from Tommy John surgery.