Dobnak's oft-injured finger has been pain-free all winter, and he's been throwing bullpen sessions without issue, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "I think we're way over the hump now. I've been down here for a month. I threw live Friday, that was probably my 10th bullpen," Dobnak said. "I've been slinging it fine."
Dobnak had ligaments called pulleys in his right middle finger rupture over the past two years, which has led him to appear in just 30 games during that span. Dobnak does not have great velocity, but he generated ground balls at a high rate before his injury. His success was largely due to his sinker, and the Star Tribune report says he's had to modify the pitch with more horizontal break due to the damaged finger. He'll need to re-establish himself at Triple-A before getting another shot at the majors, and his damaged finger raises serious doubts he can reclaim his prior form.