Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers and catchers reported for Spring Training this week, and many have begun throwing bullpen sessions in preparation for the first Cactus League game on Friday, Feb. 23.
One pitcher who has yet to throw though is starter Alex Wood, who was scheduled to take the mound on Thursday but was unable to after he tweaked his right ankle doing calisthenics.
Wood was expected to be able to return to workouts and throw his first bullpen on Friday, but that no longer seems to be the case as the ankle is still hindering him.
According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Wood is scheduled to undergo further testing on the ankle:
Alex Wood won’t throw bullpen today after ankle sprain. Getting x-rays today.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 16, 2018
The Dodgers have to be hoping that the injury is not a serious one, as Wood is expected to be one of the team’s top three starters this year.
The southpaw is coming off a career-season in which he went 16-3 with a 2.72 ERA, 3.32 FIP and 1.06 WHIP with 151 strikeouts to 38 walks across 152.1 innings of work.
This spring marks the first that Wood isn’t necessarily competing to earn a spot in the starting rotation, so there’s an extra sense of security to take however long is necessary to get back to full health.
No injuries are preferred though, so Wood’s ankle will be something to keep an eye on this spring as it will be interesting to see how long it keeps him off the mound and how it affects his Opening Day status.
