COBB WANTS SAFETY GEAR TO BE ON-MOUND OPTION

st. petersburg, fla. Rays right-hander Alex Cobb favors pitchers having the option of wearing protective headgear on the mound.

Cobb returned to Tropicana Field onMonday, nine days after being struck in the right ear by a ball hit by Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer and nearly seven weeks after Toronto’s J.A. Happ also was hit in the head by a batted ball while pitching there.

Cobb, who is making progress in his recovery, spoke to the media for the first time and answered questions about the scary incident that knocked him out of a game June 15.

The injury renewed debate about what can be done to protect pitchers from batted balls.

“I don’t want it to turn into something where every pitcher on the mound has to wear something. That’s everybody’s personal choice,” Cobb said. “It’s one where you want to have a little say-so that if this incident happened again you were able to do everything you could to protect yourself, your future, your family.”

Cobb said he visited a doctorMonday and was told he is healing quicker than expected. There is still no timetable for him to return to the mound.

Footnotes. The Orioles optioned veteran pitcher Freddy Garcia to Triple-A Norfolk, an assignment the right-hander has the right to refuse. To replace Garcia, rookie right-hander Kevin Gausman was recalled from Norfolk and is expected to pitch in relief. … The Indians optioned right-hander Carlos Carrasco to Triple-A Columbus and recalled pitcher T.J. House.