ST. PETERSBURG -- Rays right-hander Alex Cobb threw live batting practice Saturday for the first time since he had Tommy John surgery last May.
It was the next step in what Cobb hopes will be a return to the rotation later this season. He threw 15 pitches -- all fastballs -- to live hitters off the mound. He also threw a 35-pitch warmup session.
"It's a not a feeling you can replicate any other time than when a batter is in there and you know he's swinging," Cobb said. "And then you know you're only throwing fastballs, and it gets a little scarier, so a little more adrenaline pumps up, but I'm very happy with how my arm felt.