Holger Badstuber Returns to the Training Pitch for Thigh Injury Rehab

Hard-luck Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber returned to the training pitch on Tuesday. The 25-year-old defender is rehabbing a thigh injury he suffered in September.

Welcome back, @Badstuber! Our no. 28 is back on the training pitch! #MiaSanMia pic.twitter.com/Fdi0L6QQTV

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) December 8, 2014

On the 86-day mark of his recovery, Badstuber worked 30 minutes with fitness coach Holger Broich, graduating coordination and ball acclimation exercises, according to the club website. The club projects that he will be able to do full build-up training in the Winterpause.

Badstuber made just appearances with Bayern before he suffered a thigh strain against VfB Stuttgart on September 13, a harsh sequence of events after the defender's comprehensive participation in Bayern's preseason. He missed 593 days with a knee injury before appearing in Bayern's friendly against the Red Barons, meaning he has missed 679 days over the past two years with different injuries.

His thigh injury has been easier to swallow thanks to the acquisition of Mehdi Benatia from AS Roma near the end of the transfer window, but Bayern's depth in defense is as thin as a thread with the injuries of David Alaba, Philipp Lahm, and Javi Martínez. This week, Bayern will go into their match against CSKA Moskva with two center backs, Dante and Jérôme Boateng, making the need for Badstuber's return a necessary relief.