Just 48 hours into spring training, we're already posting our first Walking Wounded report of 2011. Such is the nature of baseball, I suppose.
Ricky Nolasco has recovered nicely from the meniscus tear that sidelined him in September, but now a new injury is hindering him in spring training. Ricky jammed his thumb doing cone drills, and the Marlins are being very cautious with their number two starter. Ricky is participating in conditioning, but is being held back from throwing for now.
The jammed thumb that is keeping Ricky Nolasco out of early throwing drills occurred close to two weeks ago when he was conditioning at his residence in Aventura."It's getting better," Nolasco said on Saturday. "I just fell on it. I just kind of jammed it. It's something that's been lingering. It's frustrating, but there is not much I can do right now except try to let it calm down."
Nolasco may be back on the mound sometime in the coming week.
Sean West is another pitcher in camp hampered by an injury. A sore elbow put an early end to his stint in the Arizona Fall League, and the Marlins are taking precautions with West, limiting his bullpen sessions to once every three days.
West said he’s completely healthy, but the Marlins are being cautious since he felt elbow discomfort that cut short his Arizona Fall League participation.
West said he started throwing bullpens "a few weeks ago." He knows there’s no room in the starting rotation, which will consist of five right-handers.
"They went out this off-season and made some really key signs and this team is going to be extremely competitive this year and I would like to be a part of it," he said.
"If I show I am ready, I’m sure they’ll make room."
First order of business for Sean: get healthy. And maybe stay that way for a good chunk of the season.
Chris Coghlan says his knee is "100%" after a meniscus tear and subsequent surgery cut his season short in July, but the Marlins are taking things slowly with their new center fielder. Coghlan will be handled with care for the first few weeks of spring training, and may not play in back-to-back Grapefruit League games until the Marlins see how his knee is responding.
Coghlan said he understands the team’s concerns.
"I think the front office and the training staff wanted to take the first week slow and see how much my knee can take," he said. "They just want to minimize my time on my knee…
"It’s not like I can’t run. I can do everything, I don’t feel any knee pain. I’m good," he said.
"The only reason I don’t say Im 100 percent is because I’m not game ready yet. I still have to get my legs under me; they get a little more winded quicker because I haven’t been able to run as long much as I normally do before spring."
The Fish want to minimize Coghlan's time on his knee before they toss him into one of the most challenging positions on the field. He's already behind physically, and the Marlins' caution will give him even less time to adjust to his new position this spring. That doesn't exactly evoke loads of confidence.