Chapter 16: Back to Work
By Adam Sparks, Pensacola Blue Wahoos Athletic Trainer (Miami Marlins AA Affiliate)
Tales of the Tape: My Journey as a Double-A Athletic Trainer is a behind-the-scenes look at what it truly takes to support a professional baseball team through a grueling Double-A season—told through the eyes of Adam Sparks, the athletic trainer for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. While players chase their big-league dreams, Adam is working tirelessly behind the scenes to keep them healthy, prepared, and on the field. From early mornings in the training room to late-night treatments after walk-off wins (or tough losses), this series pulls back the curtain on the day-to-day life of a minor league athletic trainer—the routines, the challenges, the unexpected moments, and the heart that goes into a job most fans never see. We hope you enjoy following the journey. Now, let’s get started.
After a few well-deserved days at home with my family, including celebrating my son’s 2nd birthday (can’t believe how fast he’s growing!), it was time to get back to work and gear up for the second half of the season.
Thursday, July 17
I got to the stadium around 2:30 p.m. to unpack from the road trip and reset the training room. One of our rehab guys came in early, so we knocked out his session before the rest of the team arrived. After reconnecting with the manager, coaching staff, and players, we held a light team workout at 6:00 p.m. I wrapped up the day by sending out player updates, cleaning up the training room, and heading home.
Friday, July 18
Back to a normal routine. I arrived around 10:00 a.m., set up the training room and dugout, and worked through rehab sessions, maintenance programs, and treatments. I caught up with the visiting ATC and reviewed our emergency action plan (EAP). During the first inning of the game, I had to evaluate one of our players on-field—he stayed in the game, and I notified our directors. Later, another player required an on-field evaluation and had to be removed. One of our team physicians was at the game, so he did an evaluation, and we ordered precautionary imaging. Once results came in, I updated the directors and revised our plan of care. A busy night, but everyone was taken care of.
Saturday, July 19
Happy birthday to our son! I still started my day at 10:00 a.m. at the ballpark. After handling our rehab guys and normal check-ins, I reevaluated the player from Friday night. I then transitioned to on-field work, bullpen monitoring, and game prep. Once the game started, I sent player updates and followed the usual postgame arm care, recovery work, notes, and check-in with the manager before heading home.
Sunday, July 20
I got to the park at 9:30 a.m. to begin pregame prep. Rehab guys came in early, followed by the standard activation and treatment flow. After bullpens and on-field prep, one of our players reported some discomfort. I evaluated him, coordinated an in-game assessment with our team physician, and updated our directors with a new plan of care. Postgame, I completed arm care, cleaned up, and checked in with the staff. Then it was time to get everything packed up—we’re hitting the road Monday for a series in Knoxville.
We’ll see you all next week!