The San Diego Padres suffered their first injury of spring training, and it puts the WBC status of reliever Yuki Matsui in question due to a groin strain. The injury occurred during a batting practice session, and it was reported as “left groin tightness” according to an AP report via ESPN.
The injury isn’t considered serious, but it does raise questions about Matsui’s availability for Japan, which is the defending WBC champion in the upcoming classic. Matsui is considered day-to-day, and rookie manager Craig Stammen offered brief comments on the situation.
“We’ve got to see how he comes out of this day off, and then how he feels tomorrow," Padres manager Craig Stammen said Friday. "Honestly, I think it puts the WBC in question."
Matsui isn’t a major piece out of the bullpen, but he’s important. The 30-year old has a 3.86 ERA over 125 appearances, according to the report, and he’s considered a reliable middle relief option.
Stammen said Matsui could be back to playing catch this weekend, but the injury raises and important health issue for multiple teams around the league as some of their players start to ramp up for the WBC. Basically, the players in the WBC are on a different timeline from their respective teams, which would prefer a slower process that gets them ready by April 1 rather than the March 5 start date for the international tournament.
That could very well be the case for Matsui in this situation. The Padres have a thin starting rotation and a strong bullpen, but losing Matsui’s innings would hurt, and San Diego is still sorting out roles with Mason Miller stepping up to become the team’s new closer. It’s fair to assume the Padres would like to slow down Matsui’s timeline a little, but given the role nationalism plays for many players, it’s not something they want to sit out.
This conflict has been in the news for other reasons this offseason. Multiple players have been denied insurance coverage for the WBC due to injury issues, and the list includes stars like shortstop Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels.
It remains to be seen if insurance plays a role in Matsui’s recovery process and a possible decision to bow out of the WBC. He’s almost certainly been cleared to go on that front, but it’s impossible to know if insurance companies are going to step in and get involved in any injuries that happen in the next week or so as spring training games begin.