Rays closer Troy Percival, 39, is now in the midst of rehab on his back – about seven weeks after undergoing surgery to correct a disc problem. That’s the injury that nagged him into ineffectiveness and onto the disabled list last season. He was no help to the team down the stretch and was left off the post-season roster.
Percival, who is signed for $4 million for 2009, hopes to be ready for opening day. But one wonders, given the Rays investment, if he could do even more to facilitate his disc recovery and assure that he can contribute and actually earn his salary this year.
To that end, how about working in a salad? He was at least 50 pounds overweight last year.