Emeralds' Remillard sparkles with five RBIs

The recovery time for a position player who undergoes Tommy John surgery is generally quicker and far less tedious than that of a pitcher.
Don't tell that to Will Remillard, who underwent the procedure in 2015 only to re-injure his elbow a year later necessitating a second operation that cost him another season. All told, the 24-year-old missed more than three years.
Now he's trying to make up for lost time.

Remillard tied his career high with five RBIs on Friday, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, as Class A Short Season Eugene rolled past Salem-Keizer, 12-4, at Volcanoes Stadium.
It was the fifth game of his Northwest League rehab assignment and eighth overall. His appearance in the Rookie-level Arizona League on Aug. 13 was his first live-game action since July 28, 2014 with Class A Kane County.
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"I was just grateful and thankful that I had the opportunity to get into a game again," the Cohoes, New York, native said. "You miss so much time and then rehab, it gets to a point where you're really not sure if you'll ever be able to play in a competitive game ever again. People take that for granted, but I'm just very thankful. I was excited and the emotions were pretty high."
After grounding out in his first at-bat, Remillard notched hits in each of his next three plate appearances. He laced a three-run double to right field and scored in the third inning before singling to left in the fifth. The backstop batted with the bases loaded again in the seventh and doubled in two more runs before scoring later in the frame. The two RBIs gave him five in a game for the first time since April 17, 2014 with Kane County. He struck out looking in the eighth.
"When I was out, I watched a ton of baseball and tried to learn as much as I could, even though I wasn't able to be on the field," Remillard said. "You get a lot of big league guys coming through Arizona rehabbing, so I talked with them and coaches to get a better understanding for the game. It solidified my approach, which has helped me come back and succeed right off the bat."

Through the first eight games of his rehab assignment, Remillard is hitting .400 with four doubles, five walks and six RBIs, including three multi-hit efforts with the Emeralds. He produced a .286/.372/.381 slash line in the Midwest League in 2014, but a strain of his flexor muscle ended his season after 49 games. The Cubs invited Remillard to Spring Training in 2015, but the strain became a full tear and surgery became necessary. Preparing to return in 2016, Remillard re-injured the elbow and had to have a second Tommy John procedure.
"It's a mental battle," the Coastal Carolina product said. "You're in Arizona for three straight years, watching guys come here and leave, but I was stuck there. You need to take it day by day and grind through it while knowing that the grass is greener on the other side. I really couldn't be more grateful to the Cubs for sticking with me and allowing me to play this game again.
"It's been a tough three years, but to finally get back in and play ... I can't put it into words."
Gustavo Polanco had two hits and drove in a season-high three runs for Eugene, which has posted back-to-back wins by a combined score of 25-4.
Ryan Kirby went 3-for-4 with a double for Salem-Keizer.