With under a week to go until opening day, Spring Training injuries are beginning to become a bit more serious. No longer is there “plenty of time” to take it slow and still be ready for the first week of games.
Now, if a guy is injured, there’s a good chance his team will have to start the season out with him on the disabled list, and make some roster decisions they weren’t otherwise expecting to make.
The Cubs have had their fair share of injuries this Spring, but luckily, so far, they have all been relatively minor. Still, there have been a lot of relatively minor injuries to relatively important players on the team, and that starts to become stressful in very short order.
And, it’s not even like all of them were baseball related or preventable (like Jason Heyward getting stung 10 times by bees). Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do, but hold our breath and hope for good news – just like the fans of every MLB team.
Speaking of those other teams …
For example, on Monday, the Mets announced that Matt Harvey’s Spring Training was finished and his scheduled start on Opening Night was in jeopardy due to a “non-baseball medical issue.” As of yesterday, there were no further details, other than Harvey’s visit to a doctor, but today, more news shook out. And, although it sounded scary for a while, everything is apparently OK:
Harvey had blood clots in his bladder. He has passed them. #mets
Harvey has since been cleared to start for the Mets on Opening Night. With plenty of other talented pitchers, the Mets should be able to weather a few starts without Harvey, if it ever comes to that.
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Do you remember when Sammy Sosa hurt his back while sneezing? I’m sure for both you and Sammy, that sort of injury was equal parts funny, maddening, and most of all, unbelievable. That such a benign action could negatively impact so many people and games is frustrating, but not the first or last time it’s ever happened. For example, Brewers co-closer Will Smith is expected to miss a significant chunk of time with a torn lateral collateral ligament in his right knee … injured while taking off his shoes following a Spring Training game. A timetable for return is dependent upon whether surgery is necessary – which Smith and the Brewers will find out soon. It’s a bummer for Smith, who was entering his first season as a (part-time) closer.
Not two days ago, we learned that Yadier Molina would, indeed, be back in action for Opening Day after two thumb surgeries delayed his Spring Training this offseason. Unfortunately, when you’re an almost 34-year-old catcher, a new injury could pop up at any moment:
Yadier Molina has a right foot contusion; status day-to-day. #stlcards
In isolation, a day-to-day injury might not have stopped Molina from starting on Opening Day. But, when taken in concert with his rehabbing thumb, multiple, minor injuries might eventually add up to a missed start or two.
Alex Guerrero, who has already missed a week this Spring, hasn’t played since March 20 due to a nagging knee injury. There is no indication on when he will be back, but manager Dave Roberts indicated that Guerrero may start the season out on the disabled list.
Although he insists that he’s healthy, Dodgers pitcher Scott Kazmir was removed early from his start on Saturday, with some sort of abdominal injury. Although he said he was perfectly fine, he was seen “twisting and turning” in discomfort from the Dodgers dugout and ultimately conceded that he did feel “something.” He has since passed multiple medical tests, and expects to make his next start, though. (The Dodgers are already without Brett Anderson and Hyun-Jin Ryu.)
Yasiel Puig was scratched from his start on Saturday with left hamstring tightness, and is now day-to-day. The injury actually occurred the night before, while Puig was legging out a double, but wasn’t detected, fully, until Saturday morning. Roberts claimed that Puig wanted to (and probably could) play right now, but he was taken out, out of an abundance of caution. He missed time with strained hamstrings last season, as well.
Pitcher Yimi Garcia hasn’t thrown since Monday because of a sore left knee. Although, he could look to return to action later this week after a Saturday bullpen session revealed no further pain or injury. Still, as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com puts it, “with tough roster decisions looming involving the bullpen, Garcia’s injury might put him on the disabled list for the start of the season.”[adinserter block=”3”]
Howie Kendrick has not been cleared to resume baseball activities, as he continues to rehab a tight left calf (the Dodgers’ and their left sides, man), and he too, may begin the season on the disabled list.
And, finally, Yasmani Grandal may also begin the season on the disabled list, as he deals with right forearm inflammation. Roberts is leaving open the possibility that he may start with the team on Opening Day, but, as of now, things aren’t looking too good.
The Dodgers should serve as a warning that, no matter how good your team is supposed to be (and the Dodgers were supposed to be very, very good), unexpected injuries and ineffectiveness can derail even the toughest of contenders.
Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL.
In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy.
You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami
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