Rays Dodge Concerning News on Mike Zunino Injury Update

The American League East is one of the toughest divisions in the entire MLB and no one knows that better than the Tampa Bay Rays, who enter the 2022 campaign as winners of back-to-back divisional titles.

There's been some recent concern regarding starting catcher Mike Zunino as he deals with a shoulder injury. Although fans have been worried about his Opening Day status, it appears as if Tampa Bay has dodged the worst-case scenario.

Mike Zunino Injury Update

Zunino gave the good news to reporters Friday that he's "confident" that he'll be ready by Opening Day. He added that he's been checked out by doctors who revealed that his shoulder hasn't suffered structural damage and that he's dealing with inflammation.

Zunino, who also resumed baseball activities Friday, is coming off a breakout 2021 MLB season that saw him record 33 home runs and 62 RBI in 333 at-bats. His new career-best campaign resulted him him seeing his first-ever MLB All-Star appearance before finishing 20th in AL MVP voting.

FanDuel Sportsbook is predicting for the AL East to be as tight as ever in 2022, with the top-four teams sitting at +500 odds or better. The Rays are in the thick of it all, coming tied for second with the New York Yankees at +250 odds while the Toronto Blue Jays sit first at +170.

With how important Zunino was to the Rays' success last season, getting him at full health for the season opener will be crucial if they want to start the new year off right.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.