Twins: Rule 5 pick J.R. Graham feeling 'like I'm back'

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- J.R. Graham will never forget the moment his career flashed before his eyes.

It was Friday the 13th, May 2013, as he warmed up for the start of the third inning on a warm night in Mississippi. The stocky right-hander had entered that season as the third-ranked prospect in the Atlanta Braves system, but something wasn't right after he threw a changeup.

"I felt it start in the back of my shoulder," Graham recalled. "It was just kind of a numb tingling that shot down my arm. It felt like a pinched nerve. I went, 'Ooh.' My fingers were tingling."

He threw another pitch. This time it was a fastball that didn't even reach home plate.

"I just stood there in shock. It was just a moment of panic.

Twins third baseman J.R. Graham throws against Tampa Bay in the seventh inning at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Fla. on Friday, March 6, 2015. The Ray beat the Twins, 2-1. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

He stood frozen on the mound, staring at catcher Christian Bethancourt. Throughout his career at Livermore (Calif.) High School and Santa Clara University, Graham, 23 at the time, had never had any arm trouble. But the next day, he couldn't even lift his arm.

The official diagnosis was a strained rotator cuff. He was treated with injections of stem cells and platelet-rich-plasma.

"We did both of them, just to make sure," he said. "We weren't messing around."

Typically, such treatments are reserved for elbow injuries. Dr.

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Twins: Rule 5 pick J.R. Graham feeling 'like I'm back'