While excitement and optimism reign supreme in spring training, the injury bug’s yearly debut has quashed some of those good vibes in a number of camps. Three pitchers—Atlanta’s Andrew McKirahan, Miami’s Carter Capps and Colorado’s Jairo Diaz—have been lost for the year to Tommy John surgery.
Chances are they’ll be joined on the sidelines by other pitchers, both starters and relievers, before Opening Day rolls around. But the injury bug hasn’t only been making the rounds in bullpens this spring.
Will a contender make a drastic move to replace an injured All-Star infielder? Is a big name making big bucks about to lose his job to an inexpensive youngster? Do players, and not the team, make the final decisions on what roles they’ll fill on an Opening Day roster?
We’ll hit on all of that and more in this week’s edition of Fact or Fiction.