Dodger Hurler Recovers Following Spring's Freakiest Injury -- Maybe Ever

GLENDALE, Az (CBSLA)  --  New Dodger pitcher Joe Kelly is back on the mound after suffering what has to be Spring's freakiest injury.

Maybe ever.

According to Ken Gurnick of Dodger.com, Kelly missed three days of workouts because his back stiffened up. And how was he injured? Standing on his feet for five hours straight preparing a crawfish boil for a team dinner.

Cooking.

Yup. Making a meal. Standing at the stove.

Any baseball fan knows pitchers are often susceptible to injury -- arm, shoulder, elbow, leg. All those working parts are likely to get strained, pulled, sore.

But no one could remember a time when a pitcher (and Kelly is a hard-throwing, strapping 6'1", 190 pounds) had to sit it out because of his culinary expertise.

Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts told Gurnick, "It wasn't pitching. It was cooking." He added, "I have to keep him away from the stove. We'll keep him away from the jambalaya."

The Dodgers signed the 30-year-old bullpen ace Kelly to a three-year, $25 million deal as the setup man for closer Kenley Jansen. Hence why the Dodgers might consider telling Kelly to cook, maybe sitting down from here on in.

Kelly (a former Cardinal and Red Sox hurler) told Dodgers.com the injury was "no big deal."

No word from his teammates on how the crawfish and jambalaya turned out.

Kelly's signing with Los Angeles represents a literal homecoming -- he was born in Anaheim and went to Corona High School and UC Riverside. He currently lives in Rancho Cucamonga.