It has taken 362 days of surgery, rehabilitation, and training, but Thomas “Tip” Fairchild is officially back in the game.

He must be. He has the baseball cards to prove it and his name is even listed among minor league prospects on ESPN’s online fantasy baseball site.

“I’m available this year. I told my buddies they should draft me now while everyone’s forgotten about me,” he said with a chuckle. “I may not get you a whole bunch of points now, but I plan on doing it in the future.”

The 24-year-old Monmouth native is a year removed from “Tommy John” ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery, which involved replacing a damaged ligament in his right (pitching) arm with one from his left on May 9. It has been a long lesson in determination and patience for the Houston Astros’ 2005 12th-round draft pick.

“The worst part was the time between the injury and the surgery,” Fairchild said. “I had to do a little rehab stuff before, but the surgery part was fast. It’s felt pretty good since. I’ve had a little soreness here and there, but nothing lasting.

“The toughest thing was seeing guys break for their teams when spring training ended and not be going with them.”

The former Monmouth Academy and University of Southern Maine standout hasn’t been alone, as there are 50 to 60 players at the Astros’ spring training facility in Kissimmee, Fla., either working out, rehabbing injuries, or readying themselves for the team’s Single A short season.

Before his injury, Fairchild was coming off a 2006 season in which he was named South Atlantic League pitcher of the week and an SAL all-star selection. He had a fastball topping out at 93 mph and he appeared to be on a steady climb up the organizational ladder.

“I was fast tracked to the big leagues the way I was going and then I just hit the wall,” said the righthanded starting pitcher. “My velocity is back in the high 80s and touching 90 probably, but I’m basically starting my spring training right now as far as my arm strength goes.”

Fairchild said the biggest hurdle to overcome was forcing himself to throw hard and trust that he wouldn’t hear that sickening “pop” in his arm again.

“That was all at the front of my mind early on, but I’ve battled through the tough part of the scar tissue,” he said. “I need to break up some more scar tissue and build up more arm strength and throwing hard is the only way to do it.”

Fairchild has been throwing since August and gradually increasing his amount of time on the mound, number of pitches, and velocity.

“I got to the point where I was throwing seven days a week, but my arm got a little tired so I’d back it off a little bit,” he explained. “I battled through a stage where every time I pitched, I’d lose my range of motion for awhile after, but things are good now and my elbow feels great.”

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Fairchild, who says he’s lowered his body fat during rehab, feels like he’s 90 percent back.

“Now I’m plugged into extended rehab starts and pitched against the Braves today with a lot of rehab guys and guys going to short season leagues,” he said. “Today [Friday] I threw three innings in a start and my pitch count was 50. I gave up one hit in the first with five Ks.

“I’m still finding my location and the only thing I’m fighting is building up my arm strength and finding my fastball, but my breaking ball and changeup were both back.”

Now Fairchild is simply waiting for Houston to assign him to a team, most likely his last team, the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks.

“I don’t know if they’ll send me for any more rehab starts, maybe in Salem. I guess it depends on who has an opening in the rotation,” he said. “Their goal is to keep me healthy and keep me in Double-A.”

Fairchild said the best advice he got came from Astros starter Brandon Backe, who had similar surgery in 2006.

“He’s really helped me as far as knowing what to expect,” he said. “The last advice he gave me was don’t try to make a name for myself, just get my work in and be healthy and work toward a good August.”

aneff@bangordailynews.net

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