April 22--Shortstop Zack Cozart is confident Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber will return by next spring training.
"He has a little longer (time) than me, which is a good thing," said Cozart, who returned about eight months after undergoing surgery last season to repair the anterior cruciate and lateral collateral ligaments Schwarber tore two weeks ago, as well as a hamstring tendon tear.
"So he's going to be better than ever."
Cozart, 30, missed two games last week because he experienced difficulty getting his right leg loose in the sub 50-degree weather at Wrigley Field and he was given Wednesday off to rest his knee.
"If I have any issue, it's only patella tendinitis from the scarring," said Cozart, who added he had a graft taken from his patellar tendon to repair his ACL.
Cozart emphasized the importance of regaining full range of motion, adding strength and coping with occasional inflammation.
"Even after games, my knee balloons sometimes and I have to get some ice on it," Cozart said.
Cozart hurt his knee on June 10 while lunging to first base while trying to beat a grounder. He didn't start hitting until three weeks before spring training and was a little behind in other baseball activities.
"We didn't see a point in rushing it," said Cozart, who did some throwing and agility work before spring training. "Seven months after surgery, I feel like I could have done some stuff, but there was no rush."
Cozart doesn't anticipate Schwarber experiencing any difficultly with squatting behind the plate, but Cozart still wears a brace.
"I feel I'm strong enough to not wear it, but it helps you mentally," Cozart said.
Timothy Kremchek did his surgery and Cozart had a high level of comfort with the orthopedist who had performed a previous procedure on him.
Renowned knee surgeon Daniel Cooper operated on Schwarber's left knee and an array of specialists will be available for the Cubs slugger as he rehabs.
"It's a positive he has almost a full year (to recover)," Cozart said. "He'll be just fine. I look forward to playing against him next year."
