(Kerry Wood, moments before he “slipped” outside his hot tub)

Usually, Kerry Wood gets hurt and hits the showers, but as MLB’s Carrie Muskat reports this afternoon, this time he got out of the shower and then got hurt, slipping after a spell in his hot tub. True, it’s only 4-5 days, but it’s early yet.

MESA, Ariz. — The good news on the first day of workouts for Cubs pitchers and catchers Thursday was that Mark Prior and Wade Miller both threw off a mound. The bad news was that Kerry Wood was sidelined with an injury.

Wood bruised his right side when he fell out of a hot tub at his home Monday night. He’ll be sidelined four to five days. His ego was hurt more than his rib cage.

“I’m just getting ready for Spring Training, feeling good,” Wood said. “I [got out of the tub] and landed on my stomach and my chest and didn’t feel too good. It’s that time of year for me.”

Wood, limited to four starts last season because of shoulder problems, had been throwing well the last two months leading up to the start of camp. This was not how he wanted to start Spring Training.

“I’ve got six weeks to get ready,” he said. “I feel like I need 2 1/2 [weeks]. I was ready to go. I’d like to show people I’m ready instead of getting ice packs and people asking me questions. I am ready to go, I will be ready to go.”