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Snyder debunks notion of rehab setback

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By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com

11/09/09 2:06 PM EST

PHOENIX -- D-backs catcher Chris Snyder did not want to talk about the possible trade that would have sent him to the Blue Jays before talks stalled this past weekend.

"That's not my area, that's more of a question for the organization," Snyder said from Orlando, Fla., where he is vacationing with his family.

However, he was more than happy to detail where he is six weeks into his rehab from back surgery.

"Talking with D-backs trainers and [the] doctor that performed the surgery, I'm right where I need to be," Snyder said. "There has not been a setback, there has not been anything freak happen."

Snyder's health became a topic recently when the D-backs and Jays apparently were closing in on a deal that would have sent him to Toronto in exchange for first baseman Lyle Overbay, before talks stalled.

Snyder said he met with Blue Jays doctors in Dunedin, Fla., over the weekend. He's not sure if the Jays did not think he was far enough along in his rehab or not, but what he does know is that his doctors have told him he is right on schedule.

"From Day 1 out of surgery, the plan was: 'We have four months, we don't need to rush anything, we have nothing but time,'" Snyder said. "The reason I am where I am is because we are going at this conservatively. We decided that was the best course."

While the plan is conservative, it still puts Snyder on pace to be ready to go on the first day of Spring Training.

"I am right where I need to be, right where I should be," Snyder said. "There's no health concern or setbacks on our side."

Snyder says he is 95 percent pain free with just slight residual pain, which doctors told him is normal. He has lost some flexibility following the surgery, but now that the pain is almost completely gone, he has been able to begin doing the stretching exercises that will help him regain that flexibility.

"I feel great," he said. "I'm very happy with where I'm at."

Steve Gilbert is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.