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As the 2021 MLB season enters its final month, many players are being shut down due to injury and innings limits. Injured players are beginning to run out of time to come back from the IL. Knowing injury timelines is an extremely crucial part of the fantasy baseball season. Being able to know which players could be dropped and which should be kept is very tricky this time of year. I will continue to highlight players on the IL with their hopeful return time frame. Some teams do not give us enough information to have a solid time frame for returning injured players.
From here on out, starting pitchers returning from injuries will not necessarily have the same timeline to return as do everyday players. Most commonly, players coming back from injuries require rehab stints in the minors prior to activation from the IL. Pitchers coming back from injury usually have a few rehab assignment starts prior to being activated from the IL. This trend should change as teams are thinking about possibly having these starters rehab in the majors and act as their openers or long men to help speed up this process.
Let's take a look at the latest injury breakdown as we enter Week 24 of the 2021 fantasy baseball season.
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Injured Players - New Listings
Tim Anderson- (SS, CHW): Anderson was placed on the IL with a left hamstring strain, retroactive to Aug. 29. He had missed the prior two games. White Sox manager Tony La Russa initially downplayed the severity of the injury, so it would not be surprising to see him return sooner rather than later. Leury Garcia, Danny Mendick, and Romy Gonzalez should fill in while Anderson is out.
Wilson Ramos- (C, CLE): Ramos suffered a torn ACL and sprained MCL during this past Sunday's game. He was placed on the IL and will be having season-ending surgery.
Brett Phillips- (OF, TB): Phillips was placed on the IL with a sprained right ankle Monday. Severity is not yet known. This injury, once he has recovered, could affect his stolen base ability down the stretch.
Lance Lynn- (SP, CHW): Lynn was placed on the IL this week with right knee inflammation. It is not thought to be that serious. It was reported that he will miss only one start due to this injury.
Johnny Cueto- (SP, SF): Cueto was placed on the IL this week with a strained right elbow. Manager Gabe Kapler said that Cueto has been battling the elbow issue for about a week, though the team remains optimistic it will be a short stint on the injured list.
Brett Anderson- (SP, MIL): Anderson was placed on the IL with a left shoulder contusion. Anderson left yesterday's game after he was struck by a line drive on the left shoulder. He will miss at least one start. Severity is not yet known. A replacement has yet to be named.
Wilmer Flores- (2B, SF): Flores has been placed on the IL with a strained left hamstring. It was originally called hamstring tightness. It has been reported that Flores is now expected to miss a couple of weeks. Mauricio Dubon was called up.
Jon Gray- (SP, COL): Gray was placed on the IL with right forearm tightness. Severity is not yet known. The Rockies were initially optimistic that Gray wouldn't miss a turn through the rotation. Gray's forearm was still bothering him a day after the workout. Chi Chi Gonzalez could fill in for the Rockies.
Injured Players - Updates
Jesse Winker- (OF, CIN): Winker was placed on the IL with an intercostal strain. On the IL since Aug. 16, Winker recently started throwing and was expected to begin swinging a bat this week. The earliest projection of him coming back is on September 3rd, but it may be later than that based on his manager's comments last week.
Gleyber Torres- (SS, NYY): Torres was placed on the IL with a sprained left thumb. Torres has begun a rehab assignment and could be activated soon.
Miguel Andujar- (3B, NYY): Andujar has been on the IL with a left wrist sprain. Andujar began a rehab assignment in mid-August, but suffered an apparent setback in his recovery recently. Manager Aaron Boone said this past Sunday that he is not sure whether Andujar will be able to return this year.
Chas McCormick (OF, HOU): McCormick was placed on the IL with left hand soreness. He has begun a rehab assignment and could be back as soon as this weekend.
Ji-Man Choi (1B, TB): Choi was placed on the IL with a left hamstring strain. Choi was expected to begin a rehab assignment this past Thursday.
Kenta Maeda (SP, MIN): Maeda is on the IL with a right forearm strain. Maeda had Tommy John surgery this week and will miss the remainder of this year and the majority of next year as well.
Mike Trout- (OF, LAA): Trout has been on the IL with a calf strain. Trout has taken batting practice and participated in on-field activities prior to games. There have been rumors of the Angels shutting down Mike Trout for the rest of the season.
Evan Longoria- (3B, SF): Longoria is on the IL with a right hand contusion. Longoria has been cleared to resume taking swings as of earlier this week. It is not known whether he will need a rehab assignment prior to returning.
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