**These reports are prepared by Ryan Dumouchel and Jose Maldonado.
Welcome to the Last Word On Sports 2015 Weekly Baseball Injury Report. This will be a series of reports updated every week to give you the insight and advantage you need to make any necessary changes to your fantasy lineup. It can be tough trying to decipher whether a particular injury is serious enough to keep a player off the field for an extended amount of time and we here at LWOS want to provide you with the best up to date information available. We will also provide analysis and, at times, bench and minor league player recommendations that will gain more playing time because of an injury. Be smart and don’t let the injury bug ruin your team and your chance for a Fantasy Baseball Championship.
LWOS 2015 BASEBALL INJURY REPORT WEEK OF APRIL 26
JOSE BAUTISTA, OF, TORONTO BLUE JAYS
The Injury: Bautista is day-to-day with a strained right shoulder.
What It Means: With Bautista, there is always the risk of him getting hurt. The good news is that it is starting to look like that he will not need to go on the disabled List.
MATT CAIN, SP, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
The Injury: Cain is currently on the 15-day DL with a right flexor tendon strain and could possibly be back in April.
What It Means: For Cain owners, the latest string of news is not good at all. It is becoming more and more likely that he will be out for longer than the expected two-week time period as he has not even started to play catch. In Cain’s absence Chris Heston will stay in the Giants rotation. Heston has been one of the few bright spots on what has been a miserable start to the Giants season. In three starts he is 2-1 with a 0.87 ERA. While his strikeout totals will be modest (he had 6.5 K/9 last year in AAA), his FIP of 2.97 indicates that he is a solid short-term option.
ALEX COBB, SP, TAMPA BAY RAYS
The Injury: Cobb is currently recovering from right forearm tendinitis.
What It Means: His return date has been pushed back to possibly being late-April. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen session, which will go a long way to indicate how close he is to returning to action.
COCO CRISP, OF, OAKLAND ATHLETICS
The Injury: Crisp is recovering from right elbow surgery and could possibly be back by late-May.
What It Means: While his surgery appears to have gone well, there is no explicit timetable for when Crisp will be ready to return. He is set to be reexamined soon at which point there will be more clarification on when he will be expected to be back in action.
TRAVIS D’ARNAUD, C, NEW YORK METS
The Injury: Travis d’Arnaud is currently out with a right hand fracture.
What It Means: The initial timetable is that he will be re-evaluated in three weeks to determine if he will have to miss additional time. To replace him, the Mets are calling up prospect Kevin Plawecki. Currently, I’m not sold on Plawecki being a solid Fantasy option in most leagues. While he did hit for a decent average in the Minors last year and has some pop in his bat, he also was only hitting .216 in his first nine games at AAA.
SEAN DOOLITTLE, RP, OAKLAND ATHLETICS
The Injury: Doolittle is currently recovering from a left rotator cuff tear. He is currently on the 15-day DL and he could possibly be back by May.
What It Means: Doolittle is making progress in his recovery but does not appear to be that close to returning to action. He has slowly been making progress and the next stage of his recovery is throwing off of a flat surface.
JOSE FERNANDEZ, SP, MIAMI MARLINS
The Injury: Fernandez is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery and could possibly be back by June.
What It Means: Fernandez was moved from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL to give a spot on the 40-man roster to Matt Tracy. The estimated return date for Fernandez is still June.
DEXTER FOWLER, OF, CHICAGO CUBS
The Injury: Fowler is day-to-day with right groin tightness.
What It Means: Fowler was not in the Cubs starting lineup on Thursday. This injury does not seem serious enough to land him on the DL as he would have been available to pinch-hit if needed.
SCOOTER GENNETT, 2B, MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Injury: Gennett received five stitches after suffering a left hand laceration and is currently on the DL.
What It Means: In the same way the Brewers have constantly lost to opponents this season, Gennett had a losing battle with the shower in the PNC Park clubhouse. Elian Herrera was called up to take his spot on the active roster.
YAN GOMES, C, CLEVELAND INDIANS
The Injury: Gomes was placed on the 15-day DL with a right MCL sprain and could possibly be back in June.
What It Means: This is definitely a blow for anyone who drafted him looking for high-level production from the catcher position as the prognosis is an absence of six to eight weeks. Since Gomes went down, Roberto Perez has gotten off to a solid start hitting .261 with 2 HR and 4 RBI in his first 8 games. Even though he should be a solid bet to help with AVG (he has a .250 BABIP), if you are looking for an additional power boost from Perez, you are set to be disappointed as he never even cracked double-digit HR in the Minor Leagues.
CARLOS GOMEZ, OF, MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Injury: Gomez was recently placed on the DL with a right hamstring injury.
What It Means: Currently, there is no timetable for his return. However, the early recovery process sounds encouraging as his hamstring is feeling better at the moment.
GREG HOLLAND, RP, KANSAS CITY ROYALS
The Injury: Holland is on the 15-day DL with a right pectoral strain.
What It Means: The good news is that the injury was not as serious as expected and part of him being injured is more of an early season precautionary role. Wade Davis will be the Royals closer until Holland returns.
KENLEY JANSEN, RP, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
The Injury: Jansen is recovering from left foot surgery and could be back by mid-May.
What It Means: Jansen appears to be making progress recently. He threw a 15-pitch bullpen session but still needs to ease his way into throwing at full strength.
IAN KENNEDY, SP, SAN DIEGO PADRES
The Injury: Kennedy is on the 15-day DL with a left hamstring sprain and could be back by late-April.
What It Means: The good news is that he has returned to action with Saturday’s game against the Dodgers. For those of you who benefited from the solid production Odrisamer Despaigne had in his last two starts, it is time to sell-high (if possible) or drop him as he is likely headed back to the bullpen for the time being.
JONATHAN LUCROY, C, MILWAUKEE BREWERS
The Injury: Lucroy was placed on the DL with a broken left toe and could possibly be back in May.
What It Means: From a high level, it means that the Brewers season has gone from bad to worse (which I didn’t think was possible). For Lucroy, it is yet to be determined how much time it will cost him. Martin Maldonado is likely to get additional playing time in his absence. However, we would recommend looking elsewhere to replace Lucroy as Maldonado has a career OPS of .642 and the Brewers have yet to demonstrate the ability to score more than 2 runs on any given day.
STARLING MARTE, OF, PITTSBURGH PIRATES
The Injury: Marte is day-to-day with a bruised right hand.
What It Means: Marte was out of the line-up on Thursday. The good news is that the X-rays on his hand were negative and he is at least able to take batting practice swings. At this point, it appears unlikely that this injury will be serious enough to land him on the DL.
JAKE MCGEE, RP, TAMPA BAY RAYS
The Injury: McGee is currently recovering from left elbow surgery and could possibly be back by May.
What It Means: Progress towards McGee’s returned has been slowed down. His rehab assignment has been postponed due to overall body stiffness that he is experiencing.
JENRRY MEJIA, RP, NEW YORK METS
The Injury: Mejia is on the 15-day DL with right elbow stiffness.
What It Means: Right now, injuries are the least of Mejia’s concerns. He is currently serving an 80-game suspension for testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. If you are holding out hope that he may help you at the end of his suspension, the reality is that the closer job (or a spot in the Mets bullpen) is not guaranteed upon the end of this suspension.
Jeurys Familia has gotten off to a strong start in the Mets closer role (thus further reducing Mejia’s value). Familia has 6 SV a 2.35 ERA/3.15 FIP and 10.57 K/9 in his first eight appearances.
DEVIN MESORACO, C, CINCINNATI REDS
The Injury: Mesoraco is currently day-to-day with left hip discomfort.
What It Means: Mesoraco is still not fully recovered from this injury. While he has not played since the 12th, he will be able to hit and run the bases upon his return. However, he has yet to be cleared to resume his catching duties.
JOE NATHAN, P, DETROIT TIGERS
The Injury: Suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will undergo Tommy John surgery.
What It Means: Nathan was in the middle of a rehab stint when Detroit opted to shut him down after feeling pain while throwing. He will miss the rest of the 2015 season and his career is more than likely over as well. At the age of 40, Nathan will have a difficult road back and may just opt to hang up his cleats instead. Nathan currently ranks seventh in all-time saves with 377. Joakim Soria is firmly entrenched in the closer role now with Al Alburquerque the likely next man up.
HUNTER PENCE, OF, SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
The Injury: Pence suffered a broken left forearm from a HBP during a spring training game. He is currently on the 15-day DL.
What It Means: A threat for 20+ HR and 10+ SB with a solid AVG, Pence continues to be a solid fantasy option. Pence is unlikely to make his expected due back date of May 1st though and is still ramping up his baseball activities such as soft toss and hitting off a tee. Hopefully you have a DL spot or a deep bench to stash Pence, as there is no confirmed date for his return. In the mean time Gregor Blanco has taken the majority of reps at RF and has started off cold this season slashing .239/.327/.391 with only one SB. Blanco will net you some steals but has limited power. Standard 10-12 team leagues can more than likely find better replacements on the waiver wire.
YASIEL PUIG, OF, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
The Injury: Suffering from a tight hamstring. He is currently day-to-day.
What It Means: Puig left Friday night’s game against the San Diego Padres after re-aggravating his left hamstring. He was not available to the media after the game and skipper Don Mattingly did not have much information to share. Puig was held out last week with the same type of injury but ultimately did not get placed on the DL. Don’t be shocked if that’s not the case this time. If Puig does go on the DL, look for Scott Van Slyke or Andre Either to get extra playing time.
ANTHONY RENDON, 3B, WASHINGTON NATIONALS
The Injury: Suffered a MCL sprain in his left knee. He is currently on the 15-day DL.
What It Means: The Washington Nationals are breathing a little easier now as Rendon had a successful rehab day on Friday for the Harrisburg Senators playing five innings and smacking a double down the third base line. He did not report any discomfort and looked to be playing pain free. The Nationals plan on him playing in a few more rehab games through Wednesday. If everything is good we suspect he could be in the Nationals lineup this weekend. Yunel Escobar has been manning 3B in Rendon’s absence but hopefully you drafted a backup along with Rendon or there is somebody on waivers, as Escobar’s fantasy value is limited.
ALEX RIOS, OF, KANSAS CITY ROYALS
The Injury: Suffered a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand. He is currently on the 15-day DL.
What It Means: There is no timetable for his return but MLB Daily Dish stated that A-Rod missed six weeks in 2012 with the same injury. For replacements, Jarrod Dyson has 13 AB compared to the 37 AB for Paulo Orlando. It seems as long as Orlando continues to hit and run the bases like a mad man he will continue to start over Dyson. Orlando became the first person in MLB history to triple three times in his first three at bats. He is an interesting pickup and we recommend him for deep leagues.
HYUN-JIN RYU, P, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
The Injury: Suffering from left shoulder tightness. He is currently on the 15-day DL.
What It Means: Ryu has been playing catch and is reporting no pain. He has not been given permission to throw of a mound yet and no timetable is set for his return but it’s encouraging to hear that the pain has resided. Mike Bolsinger took the role of the #5 starter on Thursday and was just shy of a quality start. Bolsinger was optioned to AAA Oklahoma on Friday so it remains to be seen if he will be called up to make a spot start again.
MAX SCHERZER, P, WASHINGTON NATIONALS
The Injury: Suffering from a swollen right thumb. He is currently day-to-day.
What It Means: Scherzer jammed his thumb on a grounder he hit during Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. As of today the thumb is still swollen but the Nationals are giving him treatment and they, as well as Scherzer, are confident that he will make his next scheduled start. They may have to figure out a different batting approach for Scherzer, as it would be kind of silly to have their $200 million pitcher get hurt while swinging for the fences.
JUSTIN VERLANDER, P, DETROIT TIGERS
The Injury: Suffering from sore triceps. He is currently on the 15-day DL.
What It Means: Verlander had an MRI after leaving a rehab start with continuing triceps soreness in his throwing arm. The MRI confirmed that he has a triceps strain and will be shut down until further notice. No timetable has been set for his return. It is starting to look like all of those innings and pitches thrown are starting to catch up to the Verlander. Kyle Lobstein was called up to make a spot start and will continue to start until Verlander returns.
ADAM WAINWRIGHT, P, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
The Injury: Suffering from an ankle injury. He is currently day-to-day.
What It Means: The injury happened to Wainwright on Saturday so there are few details about the severity of the injury but reports say it looks pretty serious. He is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday and we will know further information then. If Wainwright does go down for an extended amount of time, options to replace him in the rotation are Tyler Lyons and prospect Marco Gonzales.
MATT WIETERS, C, BALTIMORE ORIOLES
The Injury: Recovering from Tommy John Surgery he received in June of 2014. He is currently on the 15-day DL.
What It Means: Wieters caught around two to three innings in an extended Spring Training game on Friday (the first time catching against another opponent since March) and also caught in an intrasquad game on Thursday. There is still no timetable on a rehab assignment. In the mean time, Caleb Joseph is starting behind the dish and is tearing the cover off the ball slashing .341/.471/.512 through 13 games. Baltimore is not going to rush Wieters back as long as Caleb continues to rake.
DAVID WRIGHT, 3B, NEW YORK METS
The Injury: Suffered a pulled hamstring. He is currently on the 15-day DL.
What It Means: Wright, like Jose Reyes, just can’t seem to stay healthy in recent years. General manger Sandy Alderson stated that they expect Wright back within three weeks. When he does come back, Wright could be a good sell high candidate if he continues to hit. In the mean time, Eric Campbell was called up to replace Wright at 3B. Campbell is slashing a non-threatening .259/.359/.333 so far but he did blast his first homer of the young season on Saturday.
CHRISTIAN YELICH, OF, MIAMI MARLINS
The Injury: Suffering from a lower back strain. He has been placed on the 15-day disabled list.
What It Means: It seems the back has been bothering Yelich from the start of the season and the Marlins will shut him down for further testing. Yelich was on the disabled list last season with a similar injury so it’s not very encouraging to see that he is down again this year with the same type of ailment. The crafty veteran Ichiro Suzuki will man left field until Yelich returns while Justin Bour will get called up from AAA to fill the last spot on the 25-man roster.
BEN ZOBRIST, OF, OAKLAND ATHLETICS
The Injury: Suffered a left medial meniscus tear. He is currently on the 15-day DL.
What It Means: Zobrist will have anthroscopic knee surgery and will be out approximately six weeks. The good news is that he should be back by June so its not season threatening. The Oakland Athletics called up Max Muncy to take Zobrist’s spot on the 25-man roster. Look for Craig Gentry and Cody Ross to gain extra playing time in the OF. We can see why Billy Beane likes Muncy, as his BB% never dipped below 12% in his Minor League career.
**On a side note, MLB handed out suspensions to six different players in result of the Royals-White Sox brawl that occurred.
The names of the players suspended and the length of the suspension are as follows:
Lorenzo Cain – Two games
Kelvin Herrera – Two games
Jeff Samardzija – Five games
Chris Sale – Five games
Yordano Ventura – Seven games
Edinson Volquez – Five games
Players have the right to appeal the suspension, which would defer the suspension until a final decision has been made.
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