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Core strengthening is key to everything. It's not just about the way I look, but about stabilizing my body so I can perform better on stage.

I've been practicing for a while now and physically trying to get in better shape as well after the injuries.

I also work out because I have scoliosis. I have to maintain certain strength in my core.

Physical therapy is part of my offseason routine. That has helped me greatly.

I used to keep injuries to myself. It would just make it worse and worse. Now I'm having none of that.

As a player, I was fortunate to work with coaching and medical staffs that underscored the importance of utilizing injury prevention exercises, which contributed to my healthy and long playing career.

For me, a big thing, because I have really long legs, is core stability. It's very important not only for injury but also just to be able to carry my weight around properly and not feel like I'm collapsing in specific situations when I'm stretched out too far.

I started practicing yoga. I started learning some hands-on healing stuff. And I found really good chiropractors, really good massage therapists, and what I found is I've been able to actually peel off layers of trauma on my body and actually move better now than I did.

In regards to core training, I try to incorporate the medicine ball whenever possible. As a baseball player, there is a lot of twisting and turning that I will do. Keeping my abs strong is as important as anything else.

When I was getting injured so much, I spoke to my family and my manager and said, 'I need my body to recover.' The first thing I thought was that I needed to stay upright. When I went back to Brazil to play, after a few months, my body was perfect.