For most baseball players the offseason is about relaxation and recovery — a time to let the body heal from the 162-game grind. But best intentions sometimes get derailed.
Such was the case for former Cubs pitcher Travis Wood.
When Wood reported to Spring Training with the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, he was sporting a splint on the index finger of his right hand, the non-pitching hand. Apparently, Wood seriously injured the finger during a hunting accident about a month ago.
Travis Wood had the index finger on his non-pitching hand nearly snapped in two in a crossbow snafu 4 weeks ago. He’s getting cast off tomorrow.
— Chris McCosky (@cmccosky) February 14, 2018
About a month prior to spring training, Wood was preparing to go bow hunting, when a mishap with the crossbow he was using nearly caused the index finger on his non-pitching hand to be cut off.
The 30-year-old pitcher who won a World Series ring with the Cubs in 2016, was able to joke about the serious accident with reporters.
Tigers non-roster invite Travis Wood has a pin in right index finger after a bow hunting accident. He said he asked doctor if chopping finger would get him back to pitching sooner. Fortunately, he’s left-handed. He’s throwing in camp but not catching yet.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) February 14, 2018
After leaving the Cubs, Wood struggled last season with the Royals and Padres, going 4-7 with a career-high 5.90 ERA.