MLB

A team's fortunes over the course of a six-month season typically hinge on more than one factor, but depending on how critical said factor is, that one wild card can affect things greatly.

It can be a good or bad performance. It can be a health issue, for better or worse. It can be how a player bounces back from an injury or a poor previous season. It can even be how a player produces during the ever-important contract year.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Immediately, you recognize the infectious smile from a mile away. Pure Panda. So is the laughter and the joy.

And inside the Boston Red Sox clubhouse, nothing about Panda says San Francisco anymore.

Leaving the Giants?

This news rarely turns in the other direction. 

The Texas Rangers might not know for sure yet, as Yu Darvish discussed (via Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News), but the sprain in his ulnar collateral ligament is likely to lead to Tommy John surgery. He will be done for this season.

Spring training is the best time of the year when it comes to baseball. All of the teams are an equal distance from getting to the promised land of a World Series—except the Philadelphia Phillies; they’re just terrible—and fans have a chance to watch their favorite teams play without the pressure of actual wins and losses.

On the heels of a strong 2014 campaign, starting pitcher Chris Young has finally found a new home with the Kansas City Royals.

According to the organization's official Twitter account, the 35-year-old righty has agreed to terms on a one-year contract:

Almost everything that could have gone wrong for the Texas Rangers in 2014 did. Unfortunately, it appears as though the bad luck has already returned in 2015, as ace starting pitcher Yu Darvish is likely to miss a significant amount of time.

According to Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, the 28-year-old hurler's UCL injury could lead to the need for Tommy John surgery:

The Chicago Cubs are going to pay for the funeral of legendary infielder Ernie Banks after the company that handled the services filed a claim that it hadn't been paid amid a legal battle over the Hall of Famer's estate.

New addition Yunel Escobar is slated to be the Washington Nationals' starting second baseman in 2015, but the ninth-year veteran has gotten off to a less-than-ideal start with the Nats due to injury.

Continue for updates.

Second baseman Omar Infante was a key figure in the Kansas City Royals' surprising run to the World Series last year, but the veteran middle infielder is ailing leading up to the start of the 2015 regular season.

Continue for updates.

Spring training might represent a fresh start for the fans of each of MLB's 30 teams. But 2014 is still on the minds of several players on those rosters.

Injuries, most of which were suffered last season, continue to dominate the headlines surrounding a handful of the biggest names in the game.

Some have progressed in their rehabilitations to the point where they've gotten back on the field and into exhibition games. These players will be our focus.