Chase Headley (7) could be in line for a bounce-back season. (Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports)
San Diego Padres third baseman Chase Headley is dealing with a calf injury but does not expect it to keep him out of the lineup on Opening Day.
Headley, who was diagnosed with the Grade 1 strain on Tuesday, will not participate in spring training work for two to three weeks while the injury heals. But he hopes to be back in time to get some swings in during Cactus League games to prepare for the regular season.
“If I can get 15 to 20 (at-bats) from both sides, that’s pretty close to what I need,” the switch-hitting Headley told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “If it progresses the way that I hope — and I think that it will — then I should be fine. We should have plenty of time.
“The last thing we want to do, though, is have it become a lingering thing. So even when we think it’s ready, we might give it a day or two.”
The 29-year-old Headley, who was sidelined at the beginning of the 2013 season with a broken thumb, already feels improvement in the leg.
“That’s pretty much what the trainers said would happen,” Headley told the Union-Tribune. “They said in a day or so you’re going to feel a lot better. It’s been a big step forward in the last 24 hours.”
Headley finished the 2013 season with 13 home runs, 50 RBIs and a .250 in 141 games. His numbers were down from the previous season when he posted career highs of 31 homers and 115 RBIs and batted .286 in 161 games.
Fantasy Update: If Headley is healthy he is a prime candidate to have a bounce-back season. He might be a great late-round add as a corner infielder or bench player with a lot of upside.
