ORLANDO -- The numbness in Richard Fitts ’ right arm was so debilitating for about a two-week stretch this past August that he once smacked himself in his face with a toothbrush while trying to stay on top of his dental care, and later an athletic trainer pinched the tingling appendage so vigorously that blood nearly surfaced.

Not only was Fitts terrified he might never pitch again in the big leagues, but he also worried he might never regain full usage of an arm injured during a four-inning, six-strikeout performance against the Orioles on Aug. 25.

“I was very rattled, but luckily I had the Red Sox trainers helping me and talking through a lot of different things with my arm,” said Fitts, now a member of the Cardinals after being traded by Boston in a deal that centered around Sonny

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