FORT MYERS, Fla. -- It was hard to miss the warmth that greeted Craig Kimbrel on his first day back at Spring Training after an emotional three-week absence during which he slept in his daughter Lydia Joy's hospital room nightly as she recovered from heart surgery.
"Welcome back, Craig," one fan said as Kimbrel completed his live batting-practice session.
"Have a great season, Craig," said another.
Kimbrel delivered some good news during a media briefing on Monday morning. Lydia Joy, who is 4 1/2 months old and has now had two heart surgeries, is making strong improvement.