March 17--GLENDALE, Ariz. -- When Tyler Saladino suffered an elbow injury midway through the 2014 season, he felt as if he "dropped off the top of a roller coaster."
The White Sox infield prospect was hitting .310 with nine home runs and 43 RBIs with Triple-A Charlotte and had been named a Triple-A All-Star when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow while throwing from the outfield.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery over the summer, Saladino made it back in time to start spring training with the Sox this year. The Sox's 2010 seventh-round draft pick is focusing on making sure he's healthy enough to tackle any opportunity he's given within the system this year.
"My arm feels strong and everything, but until I can get to the point where I can have the peace of mind that I know it's back to normal (it won't be 100 percent)," Saladino said. "More importantly if you're not healthy, you can't help the team. That's kind of my goal, to make sure I am healthy so that if the opportunity does present itself, I'm ready and able to help out any way I can."
Saladino, 25, still experiences some soreness in his arm and said it is probably operating at about 80-90 percent right now, though he doesn't notice a difference in games. The Sox have said they like his versatility in the field, and while he doesn't expect to return to the outfield experiment any time soon, he has felt comfortable moving between shortstop and third base. He also has hit .261 in Cactus League play and hit his first home run of the spring Monday.
"After surgery last year and a long offseason rehabbing, it's really nice to be on the field," Saladino said.
