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As the 2021 MLB season enters its final stretch, many players continue to be shut down due to injury and/or innings limits. Injured players are beginning to run out of time to come back from the IL. This is the time of year to be extremely aggressive when dealing with injured players. With only one FAAB waiver wire left after this week, if you were to drop a player this week, another team will only have one week of that player possibly, if they even come back. I will continue to highlight players on the IL with their hopeful return time frame.
During September, starting pitchers returning from injuries will not necessarily have the same timeline to return as do everyday players. One reason for this is that minor league seasons start to come to an end. 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 26 of the 2021 fantasy baseball season.
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Injured Players - New Listings
Jo Adell- (OF, LAA)- Abdomen- Adell was placed on the IL with a left abdominal strain. Severity is not yet known. He is done for the year.
Framber Valdez- (SP, HOU)- Finger- Valdez was scratched from his start this past week due to a cut on his index finger. The issue isn't expected to cause a stint on the IL. He is expected to start this Monday.
Wander Franco- (SS, TB)- Hamstring- Franco was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain. Not considered that serious, he is expected to return next week.
Tyler Gilbert- (SP, ARI)- Elbow- Gilbert was placed on the IL this week with left elbow inflammation. Severity is not yet known. With only two weeks left in the season, there seems little reason why the Diamondbacks would try to push him to return. Merrill Kelly was activated off of the IL to take his spot.
Chris Taylor- (OF, LAD)- Neck- Taylor has missed the last week of games due to a neck injury. He has not yet been placed on the IL, which is a good sign. Gavin Lux has been filling in playing left field with both him and AJ Pollock being out for the Dodgers.
David Bednar (RP, PIT) - Bednar was placed on the Il this week with a right oblique strain. He has been cleared to play catch however with his type of injury, it is not likely he could return this year. Chris Stratton has been closing for the Pirates since the injury.
Blake Snell (SP, SD)- Snell was placed on the IL this week with a left adductor groin strain. Severity is not yet known. It was initially thought that he would miss limited time but he continues to feel soreness. Vince Velasquez was signed a minor-league deal and is expected to fill Snell's spot in the rotation.
Michael Brantley (OF, HOU)- Brantley was placed on the 10-day IL with right knee soreness. Severity is not known. Brantley will begin baseball activities Sunday. The earliest he could return is this Wednesday based on when he was placed on the IL.
Jesse Winker (OF, CIN)- Abdomen- Winker was placed on the IL due to an intercostal strain. Winker had been activated a day earlier from the IL for the same injury. The aggravation of this injury could mean the end of the season for him.
Jake McGee (RP, SF)- Oblique- McGee was placed on the IL with a right oblique strain on Friday. This injury seems to have been bothering him for the last few days as he did not pitch for about a week. Manager Gabe Kapler is hoping to have him back by the end of the regular season. The earliest he could return is September 24. Until then, Tyler Rogers should close for the Giants.
Injured Players - Updates
Jacob deGrom- (SP, NYM)- Elbow/forearm- deGrom was placed on the IL with an elbow/forearm inflammation for the past few months. deGrom threw off the mound this week and may end up forgoing a rehab stint just for the Mets to be able to use him any way possible. At most, he would be able to give you two to three innings down the stretch at this point.
Mike Trout- (OF, LAA): Trout has been on the IL with a calf strain. Manager Joe Maddon admitted this week that it's unlikely Trout is able to return from the IL this year.
Johnny Cueto- (SP, SF): Cueto was placed on the IL this week with a strained right elbow. Cueto has begun to play catch but has not yet resumed any mound work. It does not look like he will return during the regular season.
Chris Bassitt- (SP, OAK)- Face- Bassitt is on the IL recovering from facial surgery after he was hit in the head with a line drive. Bassitt has completed bullpen sessions and it is possible he may return, albeit for abbreviated starts, prior to the end of the year.
Dylan Bundy- (SP, LAA)- Shoulder- Bundy is on the IL with a right shoulder strain. Bundy threw a bullpen session this week and expects to return this season. "We haven't gotten that far, as far as how many pitches I need to get up to or whatnot, but I'm very confident that before the season is over I'll be back out there at some point," Bundy said. His bullpen session was only fastballs and even if Bundy does come back, there is not much time for him to build up enough for prolonged starts when he comes back.
Mitch Garver- (C, MIN)- Back- Garver has been on the IL since late August with a lower back strain. Garver is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment over the weekend and could return some time next week.
Jameson Taillon- (SP, NYY)- Ankle- Taillon was placed on the IL with what the Yankees are calling a right ankle tendon injury. Taillon felt good after a bullpen session this week. Taillon is eligible to return as early as this weekend but he may require additional time to build up before he's activated.
Jesus Aguilar- (1B, MIA)- Knee- Aguilar was placed on the Il this week with left knee inflammation. Severity is not known. He is not likely to return this year. Joe Panik and Lewin Diaz will fill in at first base for the Marlins.
Connor Joe- (OF, COL)- Hamstring- Joe was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain. He has participated in hitting drills and the Rockies are still optimistic that he'll have enough time to return prior to the end of the year.
AJ Pollock- (OF, LAD)- Hamstring- Pollock was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain Sunday. Manager Dave Roberts said this past week that Pollock is expected to play in sim games this weekend before reporting to the Dodgers' spring training facility to play in rehab games. He could be activated by the end of next week.
Alex Dickerson- (OF, SF)- Hamstring- Dickerson was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain. He is currently on a rehab assignment and could return at any time.
Nico Hoerner- (2B, CHC)- Oblique- Hoerner has been on the IL with an oblique strain since late July. He began a rehab assignment this week and could be activated soon.
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