Brandon Morrow Nursing Calf Injury in Blue Jays Camp

Feb 21, 2014; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brandon Morrow (23) throws as the Blue Jays work out at the Bobby Mattick Training Center. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

For the Toronto Blue Jays to be successful in 2014, the team is relying heavily on right-hander Brandon Morrow. After choosing to stay with internal options for their rotation, the team needs Brandon Morrow to help anchor the top half of the staff.

He’s not off to a good start.

According to Mike Wilner of Sportsnet.ca, Morrow was seen walking around camp with a sleeve on his calf, but it sounds like a minor injury.

As noted in the tweet, Morrow is expected to throw 1-2 innings in Friday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and there is no word on whether this will impact him making that start. It is still really, really (stressed REALLY) early in camp though, so something this minor will likely work itself out before it becomes of any concern.

However, we are talking about Brandon Morrow, a man whose fragility has come into question on more than one occasion. Morrow made just 10 starts during the 2013 season, landing on the disabled list on June 1st with a right forarm strain that turned into a trapped radial nerve, costing him the remainder of the season. In his “break-out” season of 2012, where he posted a 10-7 record, a 2.96 ERA, and a 7.8 K/9 ration, Morrow managed just 21 starts due to a strained oblique muscle. Morrow was also shut down in 2010, his first season as a full-time starter.

The good news though, is that this injury is in no relation to what he went through last season and has nothing to do with his pitching arm. Hopefully he can shake this off, put 2013 and the injuries behind him, and get back on track as the team’s number two starter, bridging the space between R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle.