Dodgers: Legend Orel Hersheiser Hurt During Spring Training

Reports are coming out of Spring Training that Dodgers legend Orel Hersheiser sustained a hamstring injury while working out with the pitchers.

Hersheiser has been working with the Dodgers pitchers since pitchers and catchers reported on Tuesday. Hersheiser is not formally on the coaching staff and acts primarily as the team’s television broadcaster.

Even by not being on the coaching staff, working with Honeycutt and the pitchers is nothing new for the bulldog. In an interview on AM570 during the Petros and Money show, Hersheiser opened up about how he got to working on the field with the Dodgers this Spring.

He said Honeycutt asked him to put back on the uniform in at a charity event they were doing over the winter.

"“Nothing has really changed, our relationship has always been the same.” Hersheiser said. “Now instead of being in street close and Rick coming over and asking ‘what do you see?’ Now I got a uniform and get a little closer to the guys.”"

You can listen to the full interview on the AM570 website.

Maybe getting a little closer to the guys was not the best answer. During Thursday’s practice he strained his hamstring demonstrating a pitching motion. It looks like the old bulldog’s body didn’t quite cooperate with his mind.

Fortunately the injury isn’t too severe for Hersheiser. Two of the Dodger beat writers joked about the situation.

Bill Plunkett of the LA Times sent a witty tweet when it happened.

Dodgers beat reporter Ken Gurnick later confirmed the injury by shedding light on the incident.

Although Hersheiser isn’t on the pitching staff, his presence is always felt around the club house. Hersheiser mentioned in the radio interview on AM570 that Honeycutt often asks him for opinions on certain pitchers.

As Dodger fans we can rest assured we have the finest pitching advisors in the game. Hopefully Hersheiser is be able to return to the field soon and continue to work with the pitching staff. Honeycutt loves to utilize all resources to make sure everyone is ready to go by Opening Day.

Next: Addressing the Starting Rotation Questions

I hope this injury doesn’t deter Hersheiser from putting on the uniform and getting back out on the field because he has plenty of knowledge to pass along to our staff. There has already been positives reports in the early stages of camp as we’ve seen reports about Kershaw and Urias dominating their bullpen sessions.