While the news of Manny Machado starting the season on the disabled list is disappointing, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s sort of like calling Comcast customer support, it’s a huge pain in the ass, but you knew that the moment you picked up the phone. The only difference is, the Orioles are at least hoping that taking their time with Machado will pay off in the long run. I generally never get anything accomplished on the phone with Comcast.
Machado had offseason knee surgery and appeared to be ahead of schedule on his rehab all winter. Then in mid-March he was unable to run for five days while dealing with pain from scar tissue. Over the weekend, Showalter made it official that Machado will start the season on the DL. He added, however, that O’s fans could expect to see Machado the first month of the 2014 season.
“I think it’s almost, I don’t want to say a relief, but at least to know this isn’t a failure by any stretch. I still think you’re going to get him sometime in April. For us to get out of here and everything kind of stop a little bit, I think when he gets a couple games under his belt, I think it’ll move quickly because he’ll quit thinking about all the moving parts.
Machado on the shelf causes a number of questions about the Orioles infield. Does Ryan Flaherty start the season at third base? If so, who wins the job at second? Jemile Weeks? Jonathan Schoop? Where does the newly acquired Steve Lombardozzi fit?
Don’t rush him. Make sure he’s healthy.