The number of casualties across Major League Baseball that resulted from hunting grew on Wednesday, as the San Diego Padres announced that pitcher Andrew Cashner is likely to miss the start of the season after cutting his hand during a hunting trip. According to Padres general manager Josh Byrnes, Cashner was accidentally stabbed in the hand while he and a friend were cleaning a carcass.
Cashner needed only two stitches to close the wound, but unfortunately he suffered a severed tendon which required surgery.
“It’s a three-month recovery,” Byrnes told U-T San Diego. “The doctors don’t expect any long-term consequences. He’ll be behind. To say he’ll be ready by Opening Day is unrealistic.”
The right-hander was expected to have a legitimate shot at making the Padres starting rotation with pitchers Cory Luebke and Joe Wieland recovering from Tommy John surgery. However, Byrnes did add that Cashner was “not plan A” to join the starting rotation.
Ironically, Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum was shot in the ear by a friend while hunting earlier this week. He avoided any type of serious injury, but it is still strange to see two separate hunting accidents involving an MLB player and coach in the same week.
While slicing a tendon during a hunting trip certainly qualifies as a bizarre injury, it’s more shocking when we see athletes hurt themselves while sleeping or bowling. When guns and knives are involved, there’s always an increased risk of something bad happening.
H/T The Big Lead
