Chicago Cubs hoping to avoid list of odd Spring injuries

Spring training is officially underway and while countless players are in the best shape of their lives, it doesn’t take away from the fact guys still manage to traditionally land on the injury report in the oddest ways. 

Unless it happens to one of the better players on your favorite team — like Chris Sale fracturing his foot last year by, ahem, “Fighting off intruders,” — sometimes reading about how professional athletes hurt themselves is quite comical.

Of course, taking down burglars is an entertaining cover up for landing awkwardly on his foot, but there are some instances that will leave one shaking their head in disbelief.

The following is a short list of some of the more weird and amusing injuries suffered by Major League Baseball players. Something the Chicago Cubs are hoping to avoid.

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Kerry Wood bruises ribs getting out of his hot tub

Beloved former Cub sensation Kerry Wood called the incident, “Almost funny,” after he fell out of his hot tub and bruised his ribs in February of 2007. For Cubs fans at the time, there was nothing humorous about one of the better pitchers in franchise history having to potentially miss time because of something so odd.

Wood dealt with his fair share of injuries, so this definitely would have qualified as an, “OH COME ON!” moment in Cubs history. It turned out to be nothing serious and the MLB single-game strikeout co-leader didn’t miss any time, which means we can laugh at his expense.

Jeremy Affeldt stabbed himself while trying to separate frozen burger patties

Although this injury didn’t happen during Spring Training, I would be doing this list a disservice if the Affeldt incident wasn’t included. In 2011, the San Francisco Giants were attempting to catch the first place Arizona Diamondbacks with a few weeks left in the season.

Affeldt had a lot to do with the Giants success that year, but he was forced to watch his team from the sidelines for the remainder of the season after wounding himself with a sharp knife. At the time, the 32-year-old reliever was swimming with his kids when the event occurred. In hindsight Affeldt noted, “I should have used hot water.”

Joel Peralta suffers sandwich-related injury

One would expect something related to the effect of a cut or maybe even choking when the words “injury” and “sandwich” are minced in the same sentence. However, the former Tampa Bay Rays’ reliever hurt his neck while getting out of his Camero during a sandwich run in 2013.

The injury turned out to be nothing serious, which makes it that much more easy to laugh at a guy who had to miss a day of Spring workouts because of a lunch break.

Francisco Liriano broke his arm on Christmas

Remember this? The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Liriano to a two-year, $11.75 million contract in the offseason of 2013, but it was later voided after the lefty broke his arm on Christmas day.

Apparently, Liriano was attempting to scare his kids and slammed his non-throwing arm against a door. The then 29-year-old would start the season on the 15-day DL, but produced a mighty fine season for the Pirates when he got healthy.

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Corey Hart needed stitches after a hot tub incident

I guess hot tubs are not only slippery and hard but sharp too. Hart obviously didn’t learn from Kerry Wood that hot tubs are out to get players around the time of Spring Training.

The outfielder needed three stitches after slicing his foot on a hot tub in March of last year. Why does stuff like this notoriously happen to baseball players?

Michael Saunders tears meniscus stepping on a sprinkler

This particular injury is not really comical, but it definitely reaches the level of oddity as the others. While shagging fly balls at Toronto’s Spring Training complex, Saunders slipped on a sprinkler head and needed surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee.

Next: MM: Fowler to the Orioles?

Nobody is safe during the Spring.

*Honorable mentions: 

Sammy Sosa spent time on the disabled list after a violent sneeze.

Shortstop Rey Quinonez was too busy playing Nintendo in the clubhouse and could not be inserted into the game as a pinch-hitter.

Oliver Perez kicked a laundry cart in the away team’s clubhouse and broke his toe, forcing him to be put on the 15-day DL.

Rich Harden reached over to shut off an alarm clock and strained his shoulder.

What was your favorite odd baseball injury? Let us know in the comments below!