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Dr. Reuven's (@mlbinjuryguru) fantasy baseball injury updates for Week 20 (2023). His medical background helps analyze MLB injuries for hitters and pitchers.
Now is the time to make tough decisions for your injured players. A lot of players are now getting the time of a September return. The question is whether to hold onto them and have a wasted roster spot or to drop them and move on.
If you need the counting stats, a drop may be the answer. This is because if you do not get the stats you need when the injured players come back in September, it may be too late. Also, keep in mind the mantra of dropping any players is fine as long as you think that they will not be picked up the next week.
Holding onto the injured players is a risk. It is hard to know whether the injury will have lasting effects on the players' skills when they come back. There is no guarantee that when they come back, they will be at 100 percent, especially if that team they are on is in the playoff hunt. They may try to come back too soon and that will affect their overall rest of season value. I will continue to highlight these players, when they should be coming back, and if their return could be affected by coming back too soon.
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Here's a little about myself 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. Therefore, I have knowledge of orthopedic injuries and their recovery times based on my medical experience.
I have also been playing fantasy baseball during that same time period. This has helped me get an advantage in this aspect of fantasy baseball which I hope to share with you. Make sure to stay up to date on the latest MLB breaking news with our award-winning news desk and our free fantasy baseball mobile app with 24/7 push notification alerts!
Injured Hitters for Fantasy Baseball
Mike Trout (OF, LAA)- Wrist: Trout has been on the IL since July 4 following surgery to repair a broken hamate bone in his left hand. He has begun taking dry swings and is doing running drills. There is still no timeline for his return but this is the first step.
Anthony Rizzo (1B, NYY)- Concussion: Rizzo was placed on the IL for a concussion that stems back to Rizzo's collision with Fernando Tatis in late May. He passed through concussion protocol at the time but has recently been experiencing residual fogginess. Rizzo said he noticed he was more tired, but attributed it to the grind of the season.
He mentioned waking up feeling hungover and occasionally forgetting the number of outs. Testing showed his reaction time was slower. “I didn’t just forget how to do this all of a sudden.” There is no timeline for his return. Jake Bauers will see more playing time at first for the Yankees.
Cedric Mullins II (OF, BAL)- Groin: Mullins was placed on the IL with a right adductor groin strain. He has been running, hitting, and throwing. The new timetable for his return is around August 11 or 12.
Bo Bichette (SS, TOR)- Knee: Bichette was placed on the IL with right patellar tendinitis. He hurt his knee rounding first base and coming to a sudden stop. The MRI showed this result. Blue Jays manager John Schneider declined to put a timetable on the star shortstop's return- saying "We got to see how he does." Paul DeJong will be the primary shortstop with Bichette out.
Charlie Blackmon (OF, COL)- Hand: Blackmon is still recovering from a right-hand fracture sustained in June. He was going to go on a rehab assignment but it was canceled as he is still feeling discomfort. There is no timetable for his return.
Mike Yastrzemski (OF, SF)- Hamstring: Yastrzemski was placed on the IL due to soreness in his left hamstring. Manager Gabe Kapler said that Yastrzemski will likely be held out for two-to-three weeks. Isan Diaz was called up.
Taylor Ward (OF, LAA)- Face: Ward was transferred to the 60-day IL with multiple facial fractures. He will be out until late September. C.J. Cron and Randal Grichuk will fill in as they were added to the Angels roster at the trade deadline.
Oneil Cruz (SS, PIT)- Ankle: Cruz is recovering from left ankle surgery following a fracture on April 9. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said this week that Cruz could begin a rehab assignment later this month but no official timeline was given. Tomczyk said last week that Cruz has been able to move on the field laterally to corral ground balls and was also playing catch out to 150 feet.
Brendan Donovan (OF, STL)- Elbow: Donovan was placed on the IL with a right elbow strain. He had season-ending surgery this week to repair a torn flexor in his throwing arm. Tommy Edman was activated to take his roster spot and Masyn Winn is waiting in the wings.
Jarred Kelenic (OF, SEA)- Foot: Kelenic is on the IL with a left foot fracture. Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said that Kelenic is expected to be in a walking boot for four to six weeks and is unlikely to return from the IL until early September.
Jonah Heim (C, TEX)- Wrist: Heim was placed on the IL with a left wrist tendon strain. This occurred during a swing. Season-ending surgery is possible but he will try to avoid it with two to three weeks of rest and rehab. Mitch Garver could handle most of the catching duties for the Rangers with Sam Huff getting some playing time as well.
Logan O'Hoppe (C, LAA)- Shoulder: O’Hoppe had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder, nonthrowing shoulder, in April. Angels manager Phil Nevin said this week that O’Hoppe is on track to begin a minor-league rehab assignment next week. He will probably need the full-time (20 days) on the assignment. O'Hoppe began taking live batting practice this past weekend.
Alex Kirilloff (1B, MIN)- Shoulder: Kirilloff was placed on the IL with a right shoulder strain. Kirilloff had been bothered by the shoulder for the past week. Manager Rocco Baldelli is optimistic that Kirilloff will avoid a long-term absence. Donovan Solano and Joey Gallo will get more time at first for the Twins.
Aaron Hicks (OF, BAL)- Hamstring: Hicks was placed on the IL with a hamstring strain. He is expected back around next weekend. Because Cedric Mullins is due to return around the same time, Hicks should have a diminished role when he returns.
Injured Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Marcus Stroman (SP, CHC)- Hip: Stroman was placed on the IL with right hip inflammation. No word on when this became an issue. There is also no timeline for his return. Hayden Wesneski could fill in for the Cubs in their rotation.
Griffin Canning (SP, LAA)- Calf: Canning was placed on the IL with right calf tightness, retroactive to July 29. The severity is not yet known. Canning is not overly concerned about the injury and believes he could return when first eligible.
Joe Ryan (SP, MIN)- Groin: Ryan was placed on the IL with a left groin strain. Severity is not yet known and it is not fully known when the injury occurred. He will be out at least until August 18. Dallas Keuchel was called up and should fill in.
Chris Sale (SP, BOS)- Shoulder: Sale has been on the IL since early June with a stress reaction in his left scapula. Sale will have his final rehab start over the weekend and could be activated next week.
Nathan Eovaldi (SP, TEX)- Forearm): Eovaldi was placed on the IL with a right forearm strain. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said this week Sunday that he expects Eovaldi to return from the IL on August 11, when first eligible. Eovaldi was placed on the IL after he noticed a dip in velocity in his most recent start and did not feel 100 percent following a bullpen session. Bochy and the Rangers are optimistic that Eovaldi returns soon but he will still meet with an orthopedic surgeon to be sure.
Tommy Henry (SP, ARI)- Elbow: Henry was placed on the IL with left elbow inflammation. An MRI ruled out structural damage and Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said Henry will not require surgery. He was shut down for one week and a clearer timeline for his return will show itself after he begins a throwing program.
Garrett Whitlock (SP/RP, BOS)- Elbow: Whitlock has been on the IL with an elbow issue but will begin a rehab assignment this weekend. His role, once he returns from the IL, is still in question.
Tanner Houck (SP/RP, BOS)- Face: Houck has been on the IL with a facial fracture since June. He is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this weekend. His role when he returns from the IL is in question.
Michael Wacha (SP, SD)- Shoulder: Wacha is currently on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. He threw a two-inning simulated game and hopes to be able to return from the IL around August 11.
Hunter Greene (SP, CIN)- Hip: Greene has been on IL since mid-June with right hip discomfort. Greene is supposed to have his rehab assignment moved to Triple-A this weekend and hopes to be able to be activated from the IL around August 20.
Shane McClanahan (SP, TB)- Forearm: McClanahan started to experience tightness in his left forearm during his last start. He has traveled back to Tampa to be re-evaluated and ended up on the IL. The severity of the injury will dictate how long he will be out.
Ben Lively (SP, CIN)- Pectoral: Lively was placed on the IL with a right pectoral strain. This could explain his last start in which he gave up 13 runs. The severity is not yet known. Daniel Duarte was called up.
Injured Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Ryan Helsley (RP, STL)- Forearm: Helsley is currently rehabbing a forearm strain that caused him to end up on the IL. He faced live hitters this week in batting practice. The Cardinals will probably reassess him this weekend and if there are no setbacks, he could begin a rehab assignment soon. Giovanny Gallegos is the Cardinals' probable closer until Helsley returns from the IL.
Jordan Romano (RP, TOR)- Back: Romano was placed on the IL with low back inflammation. He began dealing with this during the All-Star game. He played catch this week on flat ground. He could advance to mound work sometime this weekend and might be able to return to the Blue Jays when first eligible on August 13. Until then, Jordan Hicks looks to be the Blue Jays closer. Yimi Garcia could also close while Erik Swanson got the first save opportunity.
Liam Hendriks (RP, CHW)- Forearm: Hendriks is on the IL with a forearm strain. Hendriks underwent Tommy John surgery this week and is done for the year.
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