Spring Training has arrived!
But since games aren't kicking off just yet, most of the news we'll have for you in the next week or so will be of the injury update variety.
Yesterday we had mostly good news on the injury front. Today... not as much:
New Angels closer Ryan Madson reported to camp yesterday with the rest of their pitchers, but he won't be taking the mound any time soon. The right-hander, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, experienced soreness in his elbow during a throwing session at the start of the month and has been shut down indefinitely, reports Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com. Madson is still hoping to be ready by Opening Day, but it's more likely that he'll start the season on the disabled list.
Nick Masset, who missed all of 2012 with a shoulder injury, is nowhere close to returning to the Reds. The right-hander has suffered a few minor setbacks in his recovery from shoulder surgery and is still "a long ways away" from throwing off a mound, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Cincinnati signed Masset to a two-year, $5.5 million deal before last year but have yet to get a single inning out of the reliever.
Nationals' catcher Wilson Ramos, who is battling back from a gruesome knee injury suffered in May, is nearly at 100 percent as camp opens, according to Mark Zuckerman of CSN Washington. The backstop has one important final hurdle to cross before he gets back to ful speed: blocking pitches. Ramos tore his ACL and MCL while blocking a pitch last season and has expressed timidity at getting back in the practice this Spring.
Nats' second baseman Danny Espinosa has dropped out of the World Baseball Classic in order to focus on rehabbing his left shoulder, reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Espinosa was diagnosed with a torn rotator cuff in September but opted for rehab rather than surgery. The second baseman said his shoulder feels "strong," but he felt his time could be better spent by rehabbing rather than playing in the WBC.
Royals' right-hander Danny Duffy is expected to take the mound today for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June, reports Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star. The left-hander is set to throw about 20 "touch-and-feel" fastballs when the club reports to their facility in Surprise today. Barring any setbacks, the southpaw is scheduled to be activated by some time around the All-Star break.
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