Henderson Alvarez sidelined by infected shin caused by ingrown hair

Miami Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez has been scratched from his first spring training start on Sunday because of an infection in his right shin. In typical spring training MLB fashion, the injury is one we have never heard of before and will likely never happen again.

Alvarez left training camp early Wednesday morning after reporters noticed him walking with a limp. Marlins manager Mike Redmond later said that the 23-year-old righthander had to be hospitalized after treatment from the team was not effective enough. What started the problem? An ingrown hair, of course.

“I think it started as an ingrown hair and got infected,” Redmond told the Miami Herald. “We were treating it, the infection. It just wasn’t getting better. We wanted to be proactive and make sure it was getting taken care of. We got in there, got it cleaned out.

“It shouldn’t affect him. He obviously won’t make the start on Sunday, but he’s pitched quite a bit. It shouldn’t affect him and his ability to bounce back. He still has plenty of time to get his pitches in and get him ramped up for Opening Day.”

Don’t you hate it when that happens? Ingrown hairs are the worst. The Marlins are lucky this didn’t happen during the regular season, otherwise the pitcher who threw a no-hitter with a walk-off wild pitch last season may not have been able to help the team on its way to not making the playoffs. They dodged a bullet there.

If incredibly bizarre injuries are your thing, we have plenty to read about here.

H/T Hardball Talk