Chicago Cubs catcher Kyle Schwarber has ditched the crutches as he progresses in his recovery from reconstructive knee surgery.
"Right now, it's just the strengthening part," Schwarber said before the Cubs faced the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. "We pretty much got past the first phase, which was range of motion and trying to control swelling. Now that I pretty much have that back I'm walking on it and I'm off the crutches. That helped free up the knee and get things working more."
Schwarber has been declared out for the season after undergoing surgery to reconstruct his anterior cruciate ligament and a repair of his lateral collateral ligament April 19 in Dallas.
"Those first six weeks ... it was just trying to get my knee to bend and I was done." Schwarber said. "Now that I'm doing a lot more it's been more challenging."
Schwarber was injured April 7 when he collided with center fielder Dexter Fowler on a drive hit by the Arizona Diamondbacks' Jean Segura.
Schwarber's rehab has progressed to the point where he is jogging under water and hopping on the knee in the water.
"It is a little challenging," Schwarber said. "There are times when you're going to get frustrated because you feel you're doing the same thing over and over again. It's just a process. I feel like I want to do more but you can't do more because if you do, you can definitely have another setback."
