Dodgers: Chris Taylor Quietly Played Through Major Injury in 2021

Chris Taylor played through a painful injury in 2021 that has affected his spring training activities.

The Dodgers are filtering in all of their everyday position players into spring training lineups this week. According to manager Dave Roberts, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Max Muncy will all make their 2022 Cactus League debuts this week. As spring training rolls along, we should consistently see more of the bonafide MLB guys on the lineup card.

Unlike Betts, Muncy, and Freeman, Chris Taylor has already appeared in spring training games. Taylor has been used as the DH, but hasn't taken the field defensively yet. Turns out, that's not a coincidence. 

The Dodgers super utility-man revealed that he was battling an elbow injury last year. After a MRI, Taylor found out that he had bone chips in his elbow. He underwent surgery in mid-November to have them removed. 

The Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett reported Taylor's perspective on playing through the injury. 

"It was more just working up to the game and getting it loose. Like in the morning would be the worst, when it was stiff when I wake up. But by the time the game started, it didn't affect my play or anything like that."

Taylor's comments do not come as a surprise. During the offseason, Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel talked about how Taylor rarely complains about an injury and manages the pain quietly. 

Roberts says that Taylor should be back on the field soon. Taylor was spotted getting some infield work in to strengthen his arm. There's a strong possibility that CT3 starts at second base this Thursday.