PHOENIX – It isn’t hard to find Freddy Peralta on any given day. Just follow the bursts of laughter coming from the Milwaukee clubhouse.

“I think everybody that comes into contact with Freddy can say their day gets better,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. “He’s a great example. That’s leadership. He may say, ‘I’m just being me,’ but that’s a great sign of leadership, is the way he interacts with people and the smile on his face.”

At times last year, though, it was tough for Peralta to feel like himself, both on the field and off.

A right shoulder strain suffered May 22 against the Nationals sidelined him for more than two months. When he returned, it was clear something was slightly off.

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Peralta gutted it out through seven appearances following the initial shoulder injury but went back on the injured list with shoulder fatigue Sept. 8.

“Last year with the shoulder hurt, he couldn’t get all that movement,” catcher Victor Caratini said. “You could see the velo going down every inning.”

Off the field, Peralta admitted Sunday, Freddy wasn’t always Freddy.

“It was very difficult because I couldn’t be me,” Peralta said. "I had to control my energy to tend to my arm to make sure it would last and bother me less. I had to control a little of my energy in the games so it wouldn't affect my arm."

Peralta did his best to remain jovial, but it was a challenge at times when he was spending as much time at home or in the trainer’s room as he was around his teammates.

“Can you tell someone is having a bad day because they’re injured? You guys can tell. Yeah, absolutely, because it’s the worst feeling in the world for a player,” Counsell said. “It’s a very isolating feeling when you’re injured. You automatically feel a little detached from the team because you can’t do anything for the team.”

This year for Peralta? The grin plastered to his face throughout the day says it all.

“I’m back to feeling like me,” he said.

And even better news than that is that Peralta is feeling healthier than he has in any previous spring.

The 26-year-old has never thrown more than 145 innings in a season but hopes to change that, fully recharged and rejuvenated for 2023. Peralta’s off-season training focus was lighter on weights and more on cardio training. Peralta has been running 20 to 25 minutes on the treadmill almost every day.

“For me, it was the lower body first and then after that all the muscles in my shoulders and my scapula,” Peralta said in Spanish. “Taking care of my smaller muscles to have a better chance at having a complete season, including the playoffs and everything. I want to be healthy and make sure that I’m keeping my smaller muscles strong throughout the year”

Peralta wanted badly to represent the Dominican Republic, his native country, in this year's World Baseball Classic but, similar to problems encountered by Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, he couldn't get cleared by MLB and the MLB Players' Association.

"They told me they wanted what's best for me and, in reality, I didn't understand it," Peralta said. "I always stood firm that I wanted to play until the moment that I was put on the restricted list. There wasn't anything I could do. It's something that comes from the MLB and the (Players') Association and there wasn't anything I could do. But I was always firm in that I wanted to play."

Watching helplessly from his home in the Phoenix area while Team Dominican Republic, the tournament favorite going in, was eliminated in pool play was a dagger to Peralta's heart. After the DR was eliminated, he and shortstop Willy Adames have gathered at Peralta's house to watch the games.

"It was very hard," Peralta said, "but there were restrictions."

Back in Brewers camp, Peralta has looked crisp. And perhaps no one is a better judge of that than Caratini, the person who has caught him more than anyone in the past year.

“You can see the difference this year compared to last year,” Caratini said. “Last year he battled a lot with the shoulder, but this year he looks really good. The way his pitches are moving, especially the slider and the curveball, it’s the way they’re supposed to move.”

The breaking pitches were moving like they’re supposed to in Peralta’s most recent outing Tuesday as he struck out six and pitched into the sixth inning for only the third time since May 16 of last season.

It was a reminder that when he’s filling up the strike zone – and healthy – that Peralta can carve up a lineup with the best of them.

In other words, Freddy looks like Freddy. Batters beware.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Freddy Peralta healthy, happy during Milwaukee Brewers spring training