Not even midway through the most lucrative pitcher contract in Marlins history, left-hander Wei-Yin Chen had become an afterthought.
One of the few certainties about the 2018 roster entering spring training was that Chen would be unavailable for Opening Day (h/t Sun Sentinel). He was advised to take a deliberate approach in preparing to play through a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. Any setback would require a lengthy rest period, or possibly aggravate the injury and lead to dreaded Tommy John surgery.
To Chen’s credit, he persevered. The 32-year-old progressed from live batting practice to a simulated game to a bullpen session to an extended spring game to a pair of rehab starts with the Marlins High-A Jupiter affiliate.