If there's a silver lining to injuries in Spring Training, it's that players don't have to go far to start rehabilitation.
That helped get Washington Nationals outfielder Michael A. Taylor into rehab this weekend, just days after suffering a scary injury while playing defense in an exhibition game.
He initially stayed in the game for the last out of the inning but had to walk to get back to the dugout from centerfield. He was removed as a precautionary measure, according to manager Dave Martinez.
Taylor was the likely fourth outfielder in the lineup behind Adam Eaton, Juan Soto and Victor Robles. He was expected to get regular playing time in this role, and was part of the equation that allowed the team to let Bryce Harper walk this offseason.
The injury puts a temporary damper on that plan, but the injury could have been much worse.
Just because Taylor is starting the process of rehab now does not necessarily move up his return date. The team is still expecting to head north without him on the Opening Day roster.
Regardless, his skipper was happy with the news.
“It’s a good sign, but it's a progression,” Martinez said "We’ll see how he comes back and feels tomorrow. But for us, that’s a good thing, that he’s feeling that good."