Advertisement

Spring Training 2017: Michael Bourns adds name to weird injury list

Michael Bourn will miss at least four weeks with a broken ring finger. (Getty Images)
Michael Bourn will miss at least four weeks with a broken ring finger. (Getty Images)

Welcome to The Stew’s Spring Headlines, our daily look at the biggest MLB stories and news items from around spring training. Here you’ll find a quick recap of all the day’s action and other fun stuff from around the internet that we think is worth your time.

WEIRD INJURY OF THE DAY: Orioles outfielder Michael Bourn will be sidelined four weeks with a broken ring finger on his right hand.

[Sign up for Yahoo Fantasy Baseball | 2017 Player Rankings]

That sounds bad enough, but it’s slightly more painful when you hear how the injury occurred.

It’s not weird because he broke his finger catching a football. That happens frequently. It’s weird because it happened on a baseball field in preparation for baseball season.

As noted in Roch Kubatko’s tweet, throwing footballs around the ballpark has become customary during spring training and pregame workouts. It’s not an injury the Orioles will be angry with, but it’s still a disappointing way to lose a player they hoped would play his way onto the roster.

Bourn, who signed a minor-league deal on Feb. 20, will be hard-pressed to do that now, at least for opening day. His return will likely come one week before the regular season, which doesn’t leave much time for preparation. For now, this could give Hyun Soo Kim and others a better shot to make the team. [@masnRoch]

DONE DEAL: Speaking of the Orioles, they inked veteran shortstop Paul Janish to a minor-league deal on Saturday. [@masnRoch]

UNITED FRONT: After a season in which the St. Louis Cardinals readily admit they weren’t completely united, manager Mike Matheny is making it a point to get everyone on the same page this season. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

PLEASE SHARE: Cubs manager Joe Maddon says he’s considering utilizing a six-man starting rotation this season. That set up could entail rotation hopefuls Brett Anderson and Mike Montgomery sharing the No. 5 spot in order to control both pitcher’s workload. [@CarrieMuskat]

HE’S OUT: Liam Hendriks was set to be the only major leaguer on Australia’s World Classic Baseball team. However, he’s decided to withdraw in order to focus on his season with the Oakland A’s. [CSN Bay Area]

FBI PROBE: The construction company originally connected to Hartford’s Dunkin’ Donuts Park is reportedly under FBI investigation. [The Stew]

OPENING DAY: No surprise here, but Pirates manager Clint Hurdle has officially announced Gerrit Cole as his opening day starter. [@BrinkPG]

OSCAR PICKS: It’s that time of year again. With the Oscars coming up on Sunday, veteran reliever John Axford has released his picks the prestigious movie awards.

Why do we care? Three years ago, Axford went a perfect 18-for-18 on his picks. That makes him a pretty good gauge for what to expect.

WBC PREVIEW: Everything you need to know about Team Cuba. [The Stew]

More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:

– – – – – – –

Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!