Angels’ Ryan Madson believes legalizing HGH would help his recovery

Now in month 14 of his Tommy John rehab, the veteran closer thinks that the right dosage under the right supervision could be hugely beneficial.

by Nate A

Jun 12, 2013, 2:49 PM UTC

USA TODAY Sports

Deep-seated frustration often acts as a catalyst for embracing more radical ideas, which may explain Los Angeles Angels reliever Ryan Madson's recent statements on the legality of Human Growth Hormone. Fourteen months into his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and seemingly not any closer to getting back on the mound, the veteran closer spoke out Tuesday in defense of HGH, iterating that that the banned substance "should be legal, in the right dosage, under supervision," reports Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.

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Madson understands that “right now, it’s cheating,” but believes that ultimately the legalization of HGH to get players “back on the field” would be good for the game. He also made sure to emphasize that he has never taken HGH, and that his endorsement of banned substances starts and stops there, under the very specific circumstances he’s laid out.

Madson has yet to bring up the issue with either MLB or the Angels, and admitted to Gonzalez that he has not done a lot of research into the matter. U.S law allows for the use of HGH in very specific circumstances, none of which a professional baseball player would normally fall under. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) does include an exception for therapeutic use, but the chances of that happening are slim to none. Per MLB medical director Dr. Gary Green, no studies exist indicating that growth hormone by itself aids in injury recovery.

So, for now, Madson will likely have to go about his TJS recovery in the normal manner. Originally slated to make his debut for the Angels in May, Madson has suffered a slew of setbacks and is now relegated to playing simple catch and hoping his arm does not bother him the next day.