Not long before Christmas two off-seasons ago, Diamondbacks reliever Archie Bradley tried to stop a car door from closing and his right index finger paid the price. He smashed it, and Bradley wound up with a severely cracked fingernail.
It was an injury that sounds minor but wound up playing a significant role in both Bradley’s performance and the Diamondbacks’ season. No longer able to throw his curveball effectively, Bradley was reduced to being, at times, a one-pitch pitcher. It did not always go well.
But after participating on Wednesday in the spring’s first workout for pitchers and catchers, Bradley was asked about the health of his precious digit.