Adam Wolf recovering from injury, still chasing big-league dream

SANDUSKY — Adam Wolf didn't expect to spend this summer in Sandusky, living with his girlfriend in their apartment above Jackson Street Pier. The Edison graduate was putting together a strong pitching season across the Double-A and Triple-A levels in the Detroit Tigers organization. But a right ankle fracture of the talus bone will prevent Wolf from pitching again in 2024. "I have come to terms with it," Wolf said. "And I'm very fortunate to be able to be home… Pretty much all I can do is try to stay in shape and eat healthy and stuff. I have a better chance of doing that here. Sandusky is a beautiful place to be in June and July." The injury first popped up in spring training on one of Wolf's post-outing runs. There was no clear cause, and for the next few months it was assumed to be a sprain. Wolf's ankle didn't hurt when the 6-foot-6, 230-pound lefty planted his right leg down the mound to deliver. He noticed it much more when going over to cover first or when jogging in from the bullpen. "I didn't feel it when I pitched," Wolf said. "Running over to first, I just couldn't do. I never successfully got over to first in time all year. Running out from the bullpen was miserable." Finally, in early June, Wolf had imaging done. He didn't expect anything season-ending, just some clarity as to what was bothering him. "It was like that," Wolf said while snapping his fingers. "My season was over. You don't expect that, a foot. I was just getting an MRI to see where a sprain was or get a little more information on what we could do." Wolf's season stats across Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo finished like this: 3-0 record, 3.09 ERA, 27 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched across 16 outings. "Command was a struggle. The whole year I was just like, I'm not getting through my lead leg very much," Wolf said. "It felt like I wasn't able to finish pitches sometimes, and my coach asked about the ankle, and it felt fine. But hindsight it probably was a bit of a hindrance. But I wasn't having trouble missing barrels." When Detroit's organization broke camp at the end of March, Wolf was assigned to Erie, where he had pitched each of the past two seasons. But before the Seawolves played a game, Wolf was needed in Toledo. The former University of Louisville standout pitched in five Triple-A games for the Mudhens, holding opposing hitters to a .207 batting average. "It just feels a little bit different (in Triple-A)," Wolf said. "You are one step away. It's cool. Bigger ballparks. But it is the same game. The zone is a little tighter, and hitters are a little more experienced and smarter." Most of Wolf's season was spent back in Erie, where he put together his third consecutive season of an ERA below 3.50. "I don't feel this way often, but I am proud of the way I've been able to throw and play," Wolf said. "But they never tell you how tough it is to make it to the big leagues. It's far tougher than I thought it was gonna be. Things have gone kind of the way I wanted them to — a couple good years, pitched at a high level, but there's a lot that goes into it." The injury came at an especially unfortunate time for Wolf, whose contract with the Tigers is up after this season. It's been six years since he was drafted, meaning he can become a free agent. At this point, that leaves more questions than answers as far as what interest Wolf will get in the offseason or even if he'll go play winter ball to garner interest. "If (the injury) was last season, I wouldn't really have this uncertainty, because I'm confident I'll be able to come back from it fine," he said. "It's just hoping that other organizations or the Tigers see it the same way. I just want to be able to play next year, somewhere affiliated, and get a crack at it." Wolf has watched a bunch of former teammates from college and the minor leagues make it to the majors. He doesn't plan on giving up the dream yet. During spring training, Wolf caught up with Western Reserve graduate Andrew Chafin. Seven years Wolf's senior, Chafin is a veteran lefty reliever in the big leagues, now with the Tigers. "I talked to him a little bit," Wolf said. "He's an awesome dude. He's a character." For now, Wolf is rolling around on a scooter, keeping weight off his right leg until mid-July. Then it'll be a walking boot, a return to throwing, and hopefully a full healing of the ankle. Wolf will enter the offseason in an unusual place — healthy and fresh. It could allow him to continue to look for ways to improve as a pitcher. He's already incorporated a number of exercises in recent years that build up shoulder strength. "In 2022, I had a weak rotator cuff," Wolf said. "It was bugging me a lot, and I found out it was just weakness. So I spend a lot of time doing shoulder stability and strengthening. You should be at a point where you feel like you can throw in a game every single day. I know you're not going to, but for the most part I normally am, and I hope that's part of the availability that hopefully will one day be needed in the big leagues." All that is to come will be in pursuit of that magical moment to which all professional baseball players aspire: a call-up to the major leagues and the chance to step between those MLB lines. Wolf, now facing his second major injury after early-career Tommy John surgery, is still chasing the dream, and this injury won't derail his drive to make it. "Ever since I got drafted, my goal has been to pitch in the big leagues," Wolf said. "Give me one appearance, and we'll figure everything else out from there."