The Los Angeles Dodgers held their second workout at Camelback Ranch on Thursday, with all pitchers and catchers present, in addition to a handful of position players. Pat Venditte and Adam Liberatore were among those to throw their first official bullpen sessions of the spring.
Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Kenley Jansen and others did so on Tuesday. Pitchers are on a set schedule with designated bullpen days, as they begin the process of building up for the regular season.
There are of course instances that cause some change, and such was the case for Alex Wood on Thursday. According to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group, Wood received treatment for a minor ankle issue and will instead take the mound on Friday:
#Dodgers Alex Wood "tweaked" his right ankle during calisthenics this morning so didn't throw bullpen as scheduled. Got treatment. Will throw tomorrow
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 15, 2018
Wood endured multiple disabled list stints because of shoulder issues last season, but his ankle never posed any problems. He did suffer from a bone bruise in his right ankle during the 2015 season.
This early in Spring Training, it makes sense that the Dodgers are being cautious with one of their most important arms in the starting rotation.
Over 152.1 innings pitched in 2017, Wood compiled a 16-3 record while posting a 2.72 ERA, 3.32 FIP and 1.06 WHIP with 151 strikeouts to 38 walks. His velocity dipped in the second half, so it’ll be interesting to see if the radar gun heats up again after a full offseason of rest.
In addition to Wood, top prospect Walker Buehler was also held out of action on Thursday as a precaution. He didn’t participate in workouts after undergoing additional medical tests related to his original physical exam.
