Remember him? Brett Myers could return in August

He's the 12 million dollar forgotten man. Ever since his injury in late May, Brett Myers has basically been out of sight, out of mind for Phillies fans. With his hip injury likely to keep him out for the rest of the season and Myers set to be a free agent, most thought that he would never start a game for the Phillies again.

While Myers may not ever start a game for the Phillies again, there is a chance he will come back to the Phillies this season. As a reliever. According to Todd Zolecki, Myers is ahead of schedule on his rehab from hip surgery and is already set to begin bullpen sessions. He is so far ahead of schedule that doctors believe he could be ready to pitch for the Phillies again as soon as next month. Myers doesn't think he will be able to handle a 100 pitch workload again this year, but is willing to slide back into a bullpen role that isn't unfamiliar to him.

This news comes as a complete shock to me. Like many, I just assumed that was it for Myers with the Phillies, never once considering him a bullpen arm. The one thing we know about Myers, however, is that he is a gamer and he will do whatever it takes to help the Phillies win. While he wouldn't be the closer again, he would be a nice arm to have in the late stages of the game, alleviating some of the daily grind from Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero who seem to pitch almost every day. Of course, should Myers be added to the roster, someone else would have to be removed, and I don't think the Phillies want to just jettison Chad Durbin or Clay Condrey.

There is no guarantee that Myers will actually be coming back this season, but it is still an interesting situation for the Phillies, who all of the sudden are overloaded with quality pitching. With everyone healthy and the rumors of the Phillies adding pitching via a trade, there simply won't be enough roster spots for everyone. It's a nice problem to have, but one the Phils will need to sort out as they head to the postseason.