RADIO
Happy 4th of July weekend! At least it is happy if you are doing well in your fantasy leagues. The baseball season is speeding towards the mid-summer classic (don't forget to vote!). The trade deadline in MLB is a month away as is the trade deadline in your fantasy leagues. With the heat wave engulfing the country this weekend, division races are starting to heat up as are the injuries. The injury bug seems to be hitting hard this year, especially top-tier players. Injured players are also coming back. Knowing when injured players are coming back or how long they will be out is key to your success from now to the end of the season.
For new readers, my name is Reuven Guy and I am a practicing orthopedic/pain management Physician Assistant. I have been dealing with sports injuries for the past 16+ years and have a knowledge of orthopedic injuries and their recovery times based on my medical experience. I have also been playing fantasy baseball during that same period, which has helped me get an advantage in this aspect of fantasy baseball, which I hope to share with you.
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Injured Hitters for Fantasy Baseball
Salvador Perez (C, KC)- Thumb: Perez is on the IL following surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament on his left thumb. Perez is expected to be sidelined for about eight weeks. MJ Melendez has taken over as the primary catcher for the Royals.
Mookie Betts (OF, LAD)- Ribs: Betts was placed on the IL with a fractured right rib. Betts took practice this past Thursday and appears to have come out feeling well. This news puts Betts in line for a potential return as early as July 4, though manager Dave Roberts said the timing will ultimately come down to his pain tolerance. To minimize Betts' discomfort, Roberts also said that it was possible that he would play second base to avoid making throws from the outfield. Aaron Judge had a similar injury a few years ago and it affected his power when he came back. This will be something to monitor when Betts comes back.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SS, SD)- Wrist: Tatis continues to recover from wrist surgery following a fracture. This week, a slightly clearer timeline was given as to when he could return. Tatis "came out happy" from his last doctor appointment and is expected to be swinging a bat at full speed within the next two weeks. This may put him on a timeline to return end of July or the beginning of August, barring any setbacks.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B, MIA)- Back: Chisholm was placed on the IL with a right lower-back strain. The severity is not yet known. With Brian Anderson recently off of the IL, Jon Berti should slide over the second base for the foreseeable future.
Bryce Harper (OF, WAS)- Thumb: Harper was placed on the IL with a fractured left thumb and required surgery. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The Phillies have multiple options to fill in for him at DH and the possibility of a trade remains real.
Tyler Naquin (OF, CIN)- Quad: Naquin is on the IL with a quad injury. He has begun a rehab assignment and could be back by next week.
Ty France (1B, SEA)- Elbow: France was placed on the IL after injuring his elbow when a baserunner ran into it, hyperextending it. He is already hitting in the batting cage, and manager Scott Servais remains hopeful that France spends the minimum time on the IL. In the meantime, the Mariners traded for Carlos Santana who should fill in at first base for them.
Tyler Stephenson (C, CIN)- Thumb: Stephenson is on the IL while recovering from a thumb fracture. Stephenson is expected to begin a rehab assignment in the coming days as he has already taken part in batting practice. He could return to the majors sometime next week if his rehab assignment goes well.
Kyle Lewis (OF, SEA)- Concussion: Lewis is currently on the IL after experiencing concussion symptoms. Lewis took batting practice again this past week and added sprint drills out of the batter's box following his final swing of each round. Lewis was wearing elastic stretch bands on his right leg, which were designed to help him with his running form and ensure his surgically repaired knee remained elevated upon his initial burst. There is still no timeline for his return but it seems he will need a rehab assignment before he does.
Frank Schwindel (3B, CHC)- Back: Schwindel is currently on the IL dealing with low back pain and tightness. Manager David Ross said this week that Schwindel has been easing into baseball activities. He was re-evaluated this week and showed improvement. It seems like the Cubs are taking a cautious approach with his rehab process so far, and a better idea of his return timetable is unlikely to be known until he ramps up the intensity of his workouts.
Eloy Jimenez (OF, CHW)- Hamstring: Jimenez is on the IL recovering from surgery to repair a torn hamstring. Jimenez had his rehab assignment paused due to "normal leg soreness" but has resumed it and should return to the White Sox within the next few days.
Enrique Hernandez (OF, BOS)- Hip: Hernandez is on the IL with a right hip strain. He will return later than previously expected due to a potential setback. Hernandez has resumed throwing but has not yet resumed swinging. Jarren Duran and Jackie Bradley Jr should continue to fill in for Hernandez.
Manuel Margot (OF, TB)- Knee: Margot was placed on the IL with a left knee injury. Manager Kevin Cash said recently that the Rays are "trending toward being optimistic" that Margot will not require surgery. He is dealing with an issue in his patellar tendon rather than his ACL which may require rest only. There is no timeline for his return. Josh Lowe and Brett Phillips look to see more time in the Ray outfield with Margot out.
Brandon Lowe (2B, TB)- Back: Lowe is currently on the IL with a lower back injury. Manager Kevin Cash said recently that Lowe has resumed taking batting practice and is pain-free. He also said that Lowe is still going to need "some time" before he comes off the IL. No timetable was given. Vidal Brujan has seen an increase in playing time with Lowe out.
Yadier Molina (C, STL)- Knee: Molina has been placed on the IL with right knee inflammation. The severity is not yet known. Molina recently returned to his native Puerto Rico to rehab and remains without a timeline to come off the IL. Iván Herrera has been called up and Andrew Knizner should fill in with Molina out.
Yasmani Grandal (C, CHW)- Back: Grandal sustained a left hamstring injury while running and then he developed a back issue. Grandal is taking swings off a tee but has yet to start running. He is still expected to need a rehab assignment which could put his return to the White Sox towards the end of July. Reese McGuire has been filling in for the White Sox.
Seiya Suzuki (OF, CHC)- Finger: Suzuki on the IL with a sprained left ring finger. He began a rehab assignment this past Thursday and could be activated from the IL sometime next week.
Eddie Rosario (OF, ATL)- Eye: Rosario is on the IL following eye surgery to help correct his vision. Rosario is set to begin a rehab assignment this weekend. No word as to how long he will need to be on the rehab assignment but expected it to be seven to ten days.
Tyler O'Neill (OF, STL)- Hamstring: O'Neill was placed on the IL with a hamstring strain. He initially said that he tweaked it but he ended up on the IL nonetheless. O'Neill is supposed to start a rehab assignment at the beginning of next week and could return by the end of next week. Until then, Juan Yepez has been filling in for the Cardinals.
Taylor Trammell (OF, SEA)- Hamstring: Trammell was placed on the IL with to a right hamstring strain. The severity is not yet known. Sam Haggerty was called up.
Ramon Urias (3B, BAL)- Oblique: Urias is on the IL with a left oblique strain. Urias took batting practice and also fielded groundballs this week. Urias has been out since June 10 but has ramped up his recovery significantly within the last week and is "closing in on a return," so he will presumably not require a rehab assignment.
Michael Brantley (OF, HOU)- Shoulder: Brantley was placed on the IL with right shoulder discomfort. The severity is not yet known. Chas McCormick was called up and should be seeing playing time along with Jake Meyers.
Austin Meadows (OF, DET)- Achilles: Meadows was transferred from the COVID-19 IL to the regular IL due to strains in his left and right Achilles. Meadows recently cleared COVID-19 protocols and reported for his rehab assignment and then this issue popped up. The severity of the issues remains unclear, but it's yet another hurdle for Meadows, who has already been limited to only 36 games this year due to time spent on the IL this season.
Harrison Bader (OF, STL)- Foot: Bader was placed on the IL with plantar fasciitis of the right foot. The severity is not yet known but this should impact his running game for the foreseeable future. Lars Nootbaar, Dylan Carlson, and Brendan Donovan should be the outfield alignment with both Bader and Tyler O'Neill being out.
Injured Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Jacob deGrom (SP, NYM)- Shoulder: deGrom was placed on the IL with a stress reaction in his right scapula. deGrom threw a 27-pitch bullpen and is tentatively scheduled to have his rehab assignment begin next week. It has been said that he will need at least four rehab starts before he is activated. Barring any setbacks, deGrom is trending for an end-of-July return.
Chris Sale (SP, BOS)- Rib: Sale is on the IL with a stress fracture on the right side of his ribcage. Sale continues to make rehab assignments, hitting 95 mph on the radar gun with the first pitch of his last start. He should need one more rehab start to get his pitch count up and there is a target date of July 10 or July 11 for his return to the Red Sox.
Luis Patino (SP, TB)- Oblique: Patino is on the IL recovering from an oblique injury. He has made five rehab starts and looks to be stretched out to return to the majors. The Rays have not said when they will activate him, but he seems ready.
Jack Flaherty (SP, STL)- Shoulder: Flaherty was placed on the IL this week with a right shoulder strain. Flaherty didn't make his season debut until mid-June due to a shoulder injury that first appeared back in mid-March. He left his last start with shoulder stiffness. The severity is not yet known.
Nathan Eovaldi (SP, BOS)- Back: Eovaldi is on the IL with lower back inflammation. He is progressing more slowly than expected. He played catch this week and was expected to throw a bullpen session. There is no timeline for his return.
Garrett Whitlock (SP, BOS)- Hip: Whitlock is on the IL with right hip inflammation. He will likely need a rehab assignment following yesterday's throwing session. Manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that the Red Sox are considering using Whitlock out of the bullpen upon his return from the IL.
Max Scherzer (SP, NYM)- Oblique: Scherzer is on the IL with a moderate to high-grade sprain. Scherzer had a second rehab start this past week and may return to the Mets rotation this week.
Lance McCullers Jr. (SP, HOU)- Forearm: McCullers has been on the IL with a forearm injury. He threw a bullpen session and took part in fielding drills. He recently hit 91 with his fastball and will start throwing his curveball soon. The Astros have not given a timeline for when he could begin a rehab assignment.
Adrian Houser (SP, MIL)- Elbow: Houser was placed on the IL after suffering an elbow injury during Thursday's start. Houser left the game after only 2.1 innings due to tightness in his right elbow. The severity is not yet known until he goes for further testing. Manager Craig Counsell said Houser will return to Milwaukee to have his elbow examined.
Nick Lodolo (SP, CIN)- Back: Lodolo was placed on the IL with a lower-back strain. Lodolo is now set to return to the Reds rotation at the beginning of next week, Monday or Tuesday.
Zach Davies (SP, ARI)- Shoulder: Davies was placed on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. The severity is not yet known. The soonest he could return is July 11. No replacement for his rotation spot has been made yet.
Jakob Junis (SP, SF)- Hamstring: Junis is on the IL with a left hamstring strain. He has a Grade 2 hamstring strain and it should keep him out for three to five weeks. Junis is expected to throw two or three more bullpen sessions before he could progress to facing live hitters.
Zach Eflin (SP, PHI)- Knee: Eflin was placed on the IL with right knee discomfort. Eflin's 2021 season ended prematurely due to similar knee troubles. Eflin noted that he's dealing with bruising under his right kneepad. Eflin had the same knee surgically repaired in September he said that he hopes to return after a minimum of 15 days on the IL.
Marcus Stroman (SP, CHC)- Shoulder: Stroman is on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. Stroman has now progressed to a live BP session. He will need a rehab assignment before he can return to the Cubs rotation.
Injured Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Liam Hendriks (RP, CHW)- Forearm: Hendricks was placed on the IL with a forearm strain. Hendricks felt good after a bullpen session earlier this week and will have a sim game this weekend. Manager Tony La Russa hopes that Hendriks will be able to be activated from the IL during the White Sox's upcoming homestand this week. Kendall Graveman has been filling in.
Kenley Jansen (RP, ATL)- Heart: Jansen is on the IL with an irregular heartbeat. Jansen was first diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in 2011 and missed time that season, as well as during the 2012 and 2018 seasons after experiencing recurrences of the cardiac issue. Jansen will still be able to throw bullpen sessions even after landing on the IL, leaving Atlanta optimistic that he'll be ready to return after the minimum amount of time on the IL. AJ Minter or Will Smith could close for the Braves until Jansen returns.
Anthony Bender (RP, MIA)- Back: Bender has been on the IL with a back injury. Bender threw a 20-pitch bullpen session last Sunday. He apparently felt good afterward, as he's expected to throw in a simulated game soon. There is no timeline for his return.
Daniel Hudson (RP, LAD)- Knee: Hudson was diagnosed with a torn ACL and was placed on the IL. He will require knee surgery and is done for the year.
Jordan Hicks (RP, STL)- Forearm: Hicks is on the IL with a right forearm flexor injury. Hicks is expected to be activated off of the IL this weekend, as a reliever and not a starter.
Dany Jimenez (RP, OAK)- Shoulder: Jimenez was placed on the IL with a strained right shoulder. Oakland team trainer Nick Paparesta said Wednesday that Jimenez could resume throwing as soon as next week. He has not yet been cleared to resume baseball activities since landing on the IL. Jimenez is expected to take part in plyometric work soon and, barring any setbacks, could be cleared to play catch off flat ground. There is still no clear timetable for his return. Lou Trevino has been closing for the Athletics with Jimenez out.
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