Even though Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy will be shelved until at least early March with lower back spasms, there is relative comfort in knowing he has dealt with this injury before and has been able to manage it without going on the disabled list.
Rewind to the opening week of the 2014 season. Hardy tweaked his back fielding a ground ball before a game in Detroit. He missed five games before returning to the starting lineup, but played with back pain throughout the entire year.
That season, Hardy not only played through the back problem, but also avoided the disabled list through a right hamstring strain that cost him two games and a left thumb sprain that forced him to miss three games.