Los Angeles Angels starter Matt Shoemaker has been medically cleared to begin pitching again after being hit in the head by a line drive in September and requiring surgery to repair a fractured skull and stop bleeding in his brain.

It took the pitcher a month before he stepped back on the mound at Angel Stadium, but following neurological checkups, doctors have given him the green light to begin throwing and face hitters in spring training.

"Anxious in a good way, I guess you could say, because it's been a while," Shoemaker told MLB.com's Jason Beck. "I've been on a mound but not throwing off a mound yet. Definitely looking forward to it."

On Sept. 4, Shoemaker was pitching against the Seattle Mariners when a comebacker off the bat of Kyle Seager hit the Angels starter in the head during the second inning. Shoemaker, who immediately dropped to his hands and knees following the impact, was quickly tended to by trainers before being sent to a nearby hospital for a CT scan. Thankfully, he never lost consciousness during the incident.

The 30-year-old hurler has been in contact with MLB officials about introducing more protective headgear for pitchers this upcoming season, a solution he could opt for provided it's a comfortable fit.

"The good thing is that I'm not worried about wearing something," Shoemaker said. "But if it's going to fit and work and I'm not going to know it's there and it feels like a baseball hat, I'm definitely willing to wear it. … I know a lot of stuff is being developed.

"For me, everybody cares about how they look a little bit, but I don't really care how the look is as much as the feel and the comfort. Like, when I'm pitching, I don't want to think about it. So if that can be achieved with something, if something works, I'm willing to try it."