L.A. Times: Rafael Furcal says he feels like his old self again

Vargas talked about his long road back, in particular the time he spent in extended spring training.

“The time there was extremely difficult,” Vargas said. “When you’re hurt like that, no one pays attention to you.”

Vargas said the turning point in his recovery was when he received the same cutting-edge treatment then-Dodgers closer Takashi Saito received last year to salvage his season: an injection of platelet-rich plasma into the ailing part of the elbow.

Like Saito last year, Vargas had blood drawn and spun to isolate the platelets, which clot and promote healing. The platelets, 10 times more concentrated than in normal blood, were injected into the site of the injury. Saito was the first baseball player known to receive the treatment.

“They told me it worked for him and that his elbow was in worse shape than mine,” Vargas said.