Houston Astros center fielder Jordan Schafer injured his left hand while making a diving catch on March 18 in Spring Training. The injury was initially diagnosed as a sprain and Schafer was supposed to miss about a week of Spring Training time as a result. He has still not returned to the lineup.
On Tuesday, Brian McTaggert of MLB.com reported that Schafer is experiencing issues with nerves in his hand and has scheduled a flight to Atlanta to consult with a hand specialist. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow is optimistic that Schafer can still start the season.
"My sense is that by the weekend he'll be back hitting and hopefully be in games by the end of the weekend," Luhnow said. "We have to be cautious and if he feels any discomfort at all we're going to take it easy on him. The goal is to have him ready to go on Opening Day."
Schafer has a history of left hand injuries, so hopefully this is just an extra precaution and not indicative of a more serious issue.
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