Jake Fraley is building his strength back up after dealing with bronchitis
SAN FRANCISCO — In late April, when the Cincinnati Reds were in the middle of a series against the San Diego Padres, Reds manager David Bell and head athletic trainer Sean McQueeney met with outfielder Jake Fraley. They were concerned about the bad cough that Fraley was trying to play through.
Even though Fraley’s cough kept getting worse and worse and even though he experienced shortness of breath, Fraley tried to power through, just like he did last September when he played with a broken toe. Bell and McQueeney told Fraley that they were “really concerned,” and that he should take a few days to “figure this out.”
During that series, Fraley met with a doctor in San Diego.
“He said you were probably a couple days away from going to the hospital with pneumonia,” Fraley said. “It was pretty bad.”
Fraley was trying to play through bronchitis. Between April 21 and April 27, Fraley was out of the lineup as he recovered. On April 27, Fraley met with a doctor in Texas, who told him that he could start playing again if he took antibiotics. He returned for three games, and then he took three more days off after meeting with a doctor in San Diego.In the process, Fraley lost nine pounds, and his body fat dropped to about 8%.
Reds baserunning Elly De La Cruz Elly De La Cruz's 'instincts and his brain are just as good' as his speed
Reds Giants The Reds drop another game on a quiet day for the offense
Reds commentary trade market How Cincinnati Reds were built last winter to win – or sell | Press Box Wag
“When you have bronchitis, you need to do nothing,” Fraley said. “It’s something within your lungs and your respiratory tract. You have flem and mucus that’s all stuck in there. You don’t get time for all of that to heal itself when you’re running around constantly. When that stuff sits in your respiratory tract, it eventually gets into your lungs, which eventually turns into pneumonia.”
Fraley caught himself just in time.
“If it turns into pneumonia, once you go into the hospital, you’ll be there for weeks,” Fraley said.
Fraley returned to the Reds’ lineup for good on May 3, and he’s fully healthy now, despite an ongoing cough. His biggest concern in May has been building his strength back up.
Since Fraley developed bronchitis in April, he’s only hitting .219 with a slight .505 OPS, entering Sunday’s game against the San Francisco Giants.
“I still feel weak at times,” Fraley said. “I’ve only gained about two pounds of it back. I’m still down seven. It just feels like I have my blinders on and am just taking it a day at a time until I feel completely back to normal.”
Fraley has changed his diet to get his strength back. He’s eating more fatty foods like nuts and avocados. He has a personal chef in Cincinnati, who has put more calories into everything he eats. And Fraley has more calories than he usually does in the pregame and postgame shakes he drinks.
He’s also getting back into a rhythm in the weight room to build his muscle mass back up.
“It’s been an uphill battle,” Fraley said. “I’m taking it one day at a time and doing my thing. You make the best of it. With what I’m going through, I’m happy it’s a 162 game season. We’ve got a lot of games left. I’ll get the weight back and get the strength back. It’s just a matter of time.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How bronchitis impacted Reds outfielder Jake Fraley
