Stearman suffered a badly broken wrist in the 2-1 defeat at Everton last month.
“When it happened and I was in so much pain, I thought I was going to be out for a long while,” he told the club’s official website.
“But the operation went really well and the surgeon was really good.
“The rehab has been going great, I’ve been back out there training and all being well I should be available for selection.
“I’d prepared myself for a long absence but when we went to see the surgeon he thought it could be a lot less if the operation went well.
“Thankfully it did and here I am with a chance.”
Stearman is desperate to feature in the clash with Sunderland this weekend.
“We know this is another of those massive games,” he added.
“But we seem to produce our best form in these situations, when our backs are up against the wall. We need to do the same again on Sunday.
“There are still little things we need to get right and we’ve been working hard on the training pitch to try and improve on all those.
“If we can improve on that, then we’ll have a better chance of picking up three points on Sunday.”
