Q: How has this process been, since going on the (disabled list)?
A: It’s been a little frustrating. It’s the only time I’ve been on the DL. It’s definitely different not being with the team the whole time. At times I’ll feel distant, almost not part of the team. I’m trying to just stay positive. I did have a setback the other day, so right now we’re taking it slow. … This isn’t how I wanted my first year in the big leagues to be. But this is just the way the game is.
Q: All you can do is give it time, right?
A: Especially with a ligament injury. It just takes time. You can only just wait it out and rest. That’s really the biggest thing. You can’t speed the process up. It’s frustrating. It’s boring. Fortunately, I’m in a good atmosphere and I have a good head on my shoulders, so I’m not doing anything to jeopardize my career. But I can definitely see someone going on the DL and it going south from there, because it’s just so frustrating.
Q: What do you mean by that?
A: I could see it being easy to start getting in the wrong places, doing the wrong things, just because you’re so down, and then it snowballs. Your injury becomes something of a lesser matter. Being injured, it’s like if someone loses their job and doesn’t know how to handle it. It’s easy to go south from there. Very easily, someone who gets hurt could fall in that trip.
Q: How are you staying positive? I know you’re living with Mark Kotsay’s family — does that help?
A: Definitely. Being in a family atmosphere, I’m able to stay happy, stay in a good mood. It takes my mind off things. And (physical therapist) Rick (Stauffer) and the guys I’m with when I go (to Petco Park) in the mornings, they help me out a lot. They stay positive, tell a lot of jokes and have a lot of good stories.
Q: Has Mark given you advice?
A: Mark has definitely talked to me about making sure I know all my options and making sure I’m taking it slow. Having a guy like him who’s been through injuries, been through setbacks, has helped. All the veteran guys that have been through injuries tell me to take it slow, that there’s no need to rush back and risk further injury.
Q: What’s the biggest take-away from moving from the minors to the majors?
A: Everybody here can play. Everyone knows what they’re doing. There’s no more easy outs. You really have to bear down and execute your pitches. You have to have a game plan for every hitter. The biggest difference compared to Double-A, Triple-A is that there you could get away with making a mistake or two. Here, my mistakes have been hit 400-something feet.
Q: All right, let’s get to the serious stuff. Your socks. You always have them pulled up, with your pant legs up around your knee. Is there a reason behind that?
A: I’ve always done it my whole life. I think it might also be because I have big calves, so they fit perfect. They never fall down (laughs). Even in Little League, when we’d wear sweatpants for practice, I would pull my sweatpants up. Everything I’ve done, it’s always been pants up.
Q: Your relationship with Mark Kotsay — that’s been big for you, right?
A: Mark has helped me so much. He’s really a big reason of why I’m up here. In spring, the amount that I learned from him was insane. There were times he’d just come up and sit down with me and talk about an outing or talk about a certain pitch or batter, or a certain situation and it just helped me out so much.
Q: Best perk of a major league clubhouse?
A: The clubbies (clubhouse attendants).
Q: If you weren’t a major league baseball player, you would be a …
A: Great question. I have no idea.
