In Atlanta, Sheffield missed one day and returned to the lineup after injuring the thumb on his right hand in early July of 2003. There were a few mentions of the problem during July, but the Braves did not even order an MRI. On March 6th, he jammed his thumb when he fell while chasing a fly ball during New York's spring game against Toronto. While Sheffield was unconcerned about the injury, the Yankees ordered an MRI and sent him to see a specialist. The media widely reported that Sheffield would need surgery, which would cause him to miss three months of the season.

Sheffield actually intends to continue playing despite the injury, which has been diagnosed as an aggravation of a previously torn thumb ligament. Since an MRI was not conducted in Atlanta, he previously wasn't aware of the specifics behind his pain, which supposedly was much more severe after the initial injury. The thumb evidently was sore when he reported to camp, and the incident on Saturday merely exacerbated the situation. He'll receive treatment for the injury for a few days but plans to resume game play later this week.

If this were the regular season, Sheffield reportedly would be back in the lineup already. He played through the pain last season and intends to do the same this year. Sheffield historically performs at a slightly higher level in the second half of the season, and he held to that pattern in 2003 despite the injury. Given his ability to ignore the injury last season, I don't anticipate a thumb-induced slump. He apparently tried to keep his trouble out of the press last season in part to keep pitchers from driving the ball in on his hands to take advantage of a perceived weakness. With the publicity this spring, I'm somewhat concerned that he may face that problem this year. Until he undergoes surgery, his thumb will be vulnerable and any number of actions could aggravate the injury. A fastball in the right place, a loss of footing on a slippery outfield, a bad slide, or perhaps even a stubborn pickle jar could be the straw that sends him into surgery.

New York will allow him to forego surgery as long as his performance appears unaffected. If Sheffield's pain escalates, surgery supposedly is more likely than a regimen of cortisone shots. As long as he's assured that he can complete his rehab before spring training, the 35-year-old likely will undergo surgery following the season in order to remove the risk of aggravating the injury.