Blue Jays' Aaron Loup: Says he's fully-recovered from elbow issues

Loup says he "feels great" and is fully recovered from the elbow injury that plagued his 2016 campaign, John Lott reports.

Analysis:

Last season, Loup dealt with the first serious injury of his career, a flexor strain in his elbow that caused him to begin the year on the disabled list. The side-winding lefty now admits he came back several weeks too soon which led to another setback. "At first, we didn't think it was that bad, but it ended up being worse than we thought," he said. "It took me longer to come back, and then when I actually got back, I probably still wasn't completely ready to be back." When the Blue Jays open their Grapefruit League schedule Saturday, a fierce battle for two bullpen spots will begin, and Loup will be among a group of eight pitchers in the mix.