Chase Headley On Crutches; Out At Least Two Weeks

Chase Headley will look on from the dugout to start out Spring Training

It's only been a few days since the team reported to Spring Training, but the Padres already have a setback with one of their star players. Chase Headley has been diagnosed with a strained right calf and was spotted in the clubhouse on crutches.

Headley: "It’s frustrating. You come to camp. You feel good. You put in work in the offseason ... and you strain a muscle." #Padres

— Jeff Sanders (@JeffSanders_UT) February 22, 2014

Chase Headley: "doing run downs today, just strained my right calf a bit... Will know more in next couple days."

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 22, 2014

Headley: "I'd rather have it happen now than in three weeks... It's sore right now... It's nothing crazy."

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 22, 2014

This isn't how the season should be starting. If you remember back to last season, Headley injured himself in Spring Training with a fracture on his thumb which led to him missing the first 14 games of the season. Starting off Spring Training on crutches is not where Headley needs to be. Instead of being out on the field with his teammates, he'll be resting the calf and will have an MRI on Monday in order to further assess the injury.

In an article by Corey Brock, Bud Black doesn't seem too fazed by the news.

"It's the nature of the game, these type of things pop up over the normal course of spring," Black said. "But the silver lining is it happened on the fourth day of our spring. He'll be fine in time.

While this news is one of those "At least it happened now" types of situations to those involved, Padres fans can only wonder how it can continue to keep happening to the players. We are only days removed from Max Fried being shut down due to forearm soreness and now the Padres starting 3rd baseman is on crutches.

With Headley sidelined for an unknown portion of spring training, his injury problems may play a part in contract talks. If his health going into a seaosn continues to be an issue, the Padres might be wary to extend a large contract towards Headley with his free agency getting closer and closer.

For right now, we can only sit and wait for good results.