Major League Prospect Rehabbing at RiverLedge

OGDENSBURG – The last thing any athlete wants is to be injured, but when you’re a prospect dreaming of one day making the big leagues a serious injury could potentially put an end to your dreams before your head even hits the pillow.

Seth Pinkerton is confident that’s not going to happen to him. Mr. Pinkerton is currently rehabbing a left knee injury at United Helpers RiverLedge Health Care & Rehabilitation Center in Ogdensburg and if his second stint in physical therapy is anything like his first, he’ll return to the field stronger than ever. 

Seth Pinkerton working with RiverLedge Physical Therapist Brett Amo

Mr. Pinkerton, who graduated from Ogdensburg Free Academy in 2015, was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 20^th Round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft following a successful three-year career where he became the University of Hartford’s all-time saves leader.

However, prior to the start of his senior year at Ogdensburg Free Academy, Mr. Pinkerton found himself rehabbing a shoulder injury.

“I told him that by the time he was discharged from therapy that he’s be stronger and throwing faster than he ever had before,” said RiverLedge Physical Therapist Brett Amo. “The fact that he did, however, is a testament to him and his hard work. I could see how hard he was working and I knew his rehabilitation would be successful.”

Up until that point, Mr. Pinkerton said he had never really lifted weights, something he admittedly now regrets.

“I never touched a weight in high school, which I kind of regret now, but after working with Brett I was able to gain three to four miles per hour on my fastball,” he said. “Brett helped me get stronger so I was ready to go for my senior year and able to go to prospect camps.”

A successful senior season then led to a successful college career, which ultimately led to Mr. Pinkerton becoming one of the few people fortunate enough to receive a call letting them know they’ve been drafted and are officially on the path to the big leagues.

That path, however, took a major detour when late in his first season of professional baseball, he injured his leg while making a play in the field.

“I ended up with a grade two MCL and LCL sprain, as well as a complete tear of both my medial and lateral menisci and a complete tear of my ACL,” Mr. Pinkerton said. “My meniscus tear was so severe that Dr. Andrews (world-renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews) had to ‘go fishing’ behind my knee to find it and suture it back together again.”

Mr. Pinkerton said the initial plan called for him to split time between his home in Ogdensburg and the Minnesota Twin’s spring training complex in Fort Myers, Florida, but after the severity of his injury was discovered the decision was made to limit his travel.

Following his surgery with Dr. Andrews on Sept. 25, Mr. Pinkerton said he spent five days in Alabama where the surgery took place. On Oct. 1 he began a three days per week physical therapy regimen that will continue until min-January when he reports to Fort Myers for some additional therapy with the Twins’ training staff.

“I’ll be down there until the season starts and then I’ll go to wherever I get assigned,” he said, adding that he is planning to be on the field and ready to go when the season starts next spring.

As for right now, Mr. Pinkerton said he’s ahead of where doctors told him he could expect to be.

“I’m ahead of the game right now. At this point, I should only be at 105 degrees, but I’m at 130 degrees,” he said referring to the range of motion in his injured knee. “Brett is competitive and so am I. He pushes me that extra little bit that I need to be successful.”

While Mr. Pinkerton credits Mr. Amo with helping him get to where he needed to be in high school and again right now, Mr. Amo said that his success is more of a tribute to the hard work Mr. Pinkerton has continued to put in.

“He is an incredibly hard worker and obviously that hard work has paid off for him to be where he is today,” Mr. Amo said. “The fact that someone like Seth trusts us with his rehab shows that we are able to treat people of all ages and activity levels, from those just looking to resume regular daily life to athletes performing at a professional level. We have a great team here and I appreciate that Seth trusts us to rehab him back to where he needs to be to resume his career.”

For more information on therapy services at RiverLedge in Ogdensburg, contact (315) 393-0730. For information on therapy services at Maplewood Health Care & Rehabilitation Center in Canton, contact (315) 386-4541.  You may also like United Helpers on Facebook or visit www.unitedhelpers.org.