Paul Blackburn May Not Be Ready For Opening Day
2 years agoOakland Athletics starting pitcher Paul Blackburn (finger) has a right middle fingernail avulsion (torn nail) that will cause him to be scratched from his Cactus League outing on Wednesday. Manager Mark Kotsay said it could jeopardize Blackburn's availability to begin the regular season as well. It's disappointing for the 29-year-old right-hander, who had a chance to be the team's Opening Day starter in 2023 after one of his best performances last year. He made only 21 starts due to injury, but he posted a 4.28 ERA (4.21 FIP), 1.26 WHIP and career-high 19.1 percent strikeout rate in 111 1/3 innings. Blackburn also dealt with a middle finger injury in 2022, but this injury appears unrelated. If he does start the year on the injured list, he shouldn't need to miss much time.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle - Matt Kawahara
Source: San Francisco Chronicle - Matt Kawahara