UPDATE (March 15, 12:30 p.m. PT): Alex Wood threw a bullpen session Tuesday morning, with Los Angeles Dodgers guest coach Eric Karros standing in the batter’s box. Wood didn’t appear bothered by the forearm tightness that forced him to get scratched from last week’s start.
Minor bumps and bruises come with the territory during Spring Training, as players are getting back into game shape after the offseason. That has certainly been the case recently for the Los Angeles Dodgers, with multiplayer players battling injuries of varying degrees.
Although Justin Turner did not suffer an injury during camp, the Dodgers were cautious in how they brought the third baseman along in his recovery from microfracture knee surgery. Turner made his 2016 Spring Training debut on Monday, going 1-for-1 with a double, one walk and two runs scored.
Prized shortstop Corey Seager and Alex Wood were the latest to catch the injury bug. Seager is expected to miss up to two weeks with a sprained left knee, while Wood was scratched from his scheduled outing due to left forearm tightness.
Although forearm tightness is generally a precursor to Tommy John surgery, which Wood had in college, he maintained the situation wasn’t serious. That may hold true as the 25 year old is scheduled to throw a bullpen session, according to Alanna Rizzo of SportsNet LA:
.@Awood45 will throw a bullpen tomorrow. #Dodgers
— Alanna Rizzo (@alannarizzo) March 14, 2016
Assuming Wood manages to get through the bullpen session without issue, he will be in line to start in a game this week. Before the minor injury, Wood made one start and gave up five runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out two in two innings of work on March 7 against the Cleveland Indians.
While the left-hander saw himself on the outside looking in when camp opened in regards to the Dodgers rotation, Brett Anderson’s back surgery and uncertainty clouding Hyun-Jin Ryu’s return have made Wood all the more valuable.
In 12 starts with Los Angeles last season, Wood went 5-6 with a 4.35 ERA, 4.10 FIP, 1.27 WHIP and averaged 6.3 strikeouts per nine innings. He was 7-6 with a 3.54 ERA, 3.45 FIP, 1.41 WHIP and 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings over 20 starts with the Atlanta Braves in 2015.
