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Dr. Reuven's (@mlbinjuryguru) fantasy baseball injury updates for Week 26 (2023). His medical background helps analyze MLB injuries for hitters and pitchers.
As the baseball season heads down the final stretch, some injury decisions are becoming more and more obvious. Your fantasy teams may have little need for players who will only play for one week. A lot of Major League teams are making it easier to drop players as they start to rule out players for the rest of the year. My injury list below is shrinking as players have already begun to be shut down for the year. This is especially true for pitchers, who will have little time to rehab and return in two weeks.
Dropping a a high profile injured player (in re-draft leagues) is now probably the safest thing you could do. If another team picks them up, they will only have one week of them to play, if that. This is the time of year when you should try to get the most out of your roster and clearing space for players to "backup" your lineup for the rest of the season makes sense. Those types of players are now more valuable to you than the rest of the season and have more value than a player on your bench not playing.
As the season draws to a close, I will continue to highlight players you could feel comfortable dropping due to injury. The minor league season will officially end over the course of the next few days and rehab assignments will turn into batting practice and sim games with their respective teams. Hopefully the extra roster maneuverability you receive from dropping these injured players help solidify your place in the standings.
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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
Shohei Ohtani (DH, LAA)- Oblique: Shohei Ohtani injured his right oblique during batting practice. He has not played since September 3. The question of when and whether he will return remains up in the air. The Angels are out of it and with Ohtani looking to sign a huge contract this offseason, it is possible he is being held not only by the Angels but also by his agent.
Adolis Garcia (OF, TEX)- Knee: Adolis Garcia was placed on the IL with a patellar tendon strain. The injury occurred while trying to rob a home run. The severity of the strain is not known. There is a possibility that he could return some time next week, based on multiple reports.
Josh Jung (3B, TEX)- Thumb: Josh Jung has been on the IL following surgery that was needed to repair a fracture in his left thumb. Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said this week that Jung could be activated from the IL on Monday September 18.
Jorge Soler (OF, MIA)- Oblique: Jorge Soler was placed on the IL this week with a right oblique strain. He has begun a hitting progression. There is still uncertainty whether he could be back when first eligible, September 16. Typically, based on his injury, this would seem unlikely.
Nolan Gorman (2B, STL)- Hamstring: Nolan Gorman was placed on the IL with a grade 2 right hamstring strain. This occurred on an infield single. Typical recovery time for this type of injury is four to six weeks. The rest of his season may be in jeopardy. Juniel Querecuto was called up.
Jasson Dominguez (OF, NYY)- Elbow: Jasson Dominguez was placed on the IL with a torn UCL tear in his right elbow. Multiple reports have said that he will now undergo Tommy John surgery, or something similar to it. If he has internal bracing performed, like Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper had, he may only miss eight to ten months.
Dylan Carlson (OF, STL)- Ankle: Dylan Carlson has had left ankle discomfort since May. He has now decided to have season-ending surgery on his left ankle. He should be ready for Spring Training next year.
Joey Gallo (OF, MIN)- Foot: Joey Gallo is on the IL with a left foot contusion. He is expected to start a rehab assignment next week. No word on how long this will last. His role, when he returns, will also be a question mark.
Henry Davis (OF, PIT)- Hand: Henry Davis is on the IL with a right hand strain. He is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this weekend. The Pirates have not said how long Davis will be down in Triple -A, but a return to the Majors this season looks likely.
Riley Greene (OF, DET)- Elbow: Riley Green was placed on the IL with right elbow inflammation. He has been shut down for a while and is now scheduled for further testing and medical evaluations. His return this year is up in the air at this point.
Starling Marte (OF, NYM)- Groin: Starling Marte has been on the IL since early August with a right groin strain. He went through a full pregame workout this week and is trending to return to the Mets this year.
Byron Buxton (OF, MIN)- Hamstring: Byron Buxton was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain. Buxton was pulled off a rehab assignment last week and received a cortisone injection for his knee this week. There is no timetable for his return at this point.
Jose Miranda (3B, MIN)- Shoulder: Jose Miranda has been on the IL since mid- July with right shoulder impingement. He has decided to have surgery and is officially ruled out for the rest of the baseball season.
Jose Siri (OF, TB)- Hand: Jose Siri was placed on the IL with a right hand fracture after a hit by pitch. He was diagnosed with a hairline fracture that should knock him out of playing again during the regular season. If the Rays go deep into the playoffs, he could return. Luke Raley will get more playing time in centerfield for the Rays.
Jeimer Candelario (3B, CHC)- Back: Jeimer Candelario was placed on the IL this week with a lower-back strain. Severity is not yet known. Nick Madrigal and Christopher Morel look to gain playing time with Candelario out.
Brandon Belt (1B, TOR)- Back: Brandon Belt was placed on the IL this week with lumbar spine muscle spasms, low back pain. Severity is not known. Spencer Horwitz looks to get more playing time with Belt out.
C.J. Cron (1B, LAA)- Back: C.J. Cron has been on the IL with low back inflammation since August 18. He took batting practice this week and remains hopeful to return before the end of the season. Nolan Schanuel will continue serving as the Angels top option at first base the rest of the way.
Oneil Cruz (SS, PIT)- Ankle: Oneil Cruz has been rehabbing from ankle surgery earlier this year and is on the IL. Pirates manager Derek Shelton said this week that Cruz will not return this season.
Injured Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Max Scherzer (SP, TEX)- Shoulder: Max Scherzer was placed on the IL with a low-grade strain of the teres major muscle in his right shoulder. He will miss the rest of the regular season and likely the playoffs as well. He should not require surgery and should be good to go next year, Spring Training.
Sandy Alcantara (SP, MIA) -Forearm: Sandy Alcantara is on the IL with a right UCL sprain. He did play catch this week but it remains doubtful that he will return this year.
Yu Darvish (SP, SD)- Elbow: Yu Darvish was diagnosed with a bone spur in his right elbow and an olecranon stress reaction in his elbow. He has been shut down for the rest of the year. It is also possible that if rest and rehab do not help, he may require surgery to clean out his elbow.
Marcus Stroman (SP, CHC)- Ribs: Marcus Stroman is on the IL with a right rib cage cartilage fracture. He has thrown a few bullpen sessions and if he recovers from them well, the Cubs may send him out on a rehab assignment. Whether or not he has time to stretch back out to be a full starter remains to be seen.
Joe Musgrove (SP, SD)- Shoulder: Joe Musgrove is on the IL with a shoulder strain. He continues to play catch but has yet to throw off a mound. It is considered "highly unlikely" that he will return this year.
Shane Bieber (SP, CLE)- Elbow: Shane Bieber is on the IL with right elbow inflammation. He has made one rehab start so far and may need only one more start before he is activated from the IL.
Ross Stripling (SP, SF)- Back: Ross Stripling is on the IL with a low back injury. He threw 50 pitches in a live bullpen session this week. He could be activated in the near future.
Injured Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Felix Bautista (RP, BAL)- Elbow: Felix Bautista was placed on the IL with a UCL injury. General manager Mike Elias confirmed this week that Bautista is dealing with a partial tear of his UCL, but the Orioles maintain hope that the right-hander will be able to pitch again in 2023. He has already resumed playing catch but this is a long way from being activated. He did not require a platelet-rich plasma injection, PRP. There is no timeline for his return.
Edwin Diaz (RP, NYM)- Knee: Edwin Diaz continues to rehab from spring knee surgery. He has thrown multiple bullpen sessions and could be activated. He is traveling with the team but manager Buck Showalter is still calling it a week to week evaluation.
Kenley Jansen (RP, BOS)- COVID: Jansen was placed on the COVID IL this week after testing positive. He is now mandated to be out for at least seven days. Chris Martin and John Schreiber are the likely candidates to split closing duties for the next week.
Adbert Alzolay (RP, CHC)- Forearm: Adbert Alzolay was placed on the IL this week with a right forearm strain. He has been dealing with an unspecified injury since earlier this month. Severity is not known. Julian Merryweather looks to be in line to close for the Cubs.
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