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Dr. Reuven's (@mlbinjuryguru) fantasy baseball injury updates for Week 5 (2024). His medical background helps analyze MLB injuries for hitters and pitchers.
When processing injury information, the source a fantasy baseball manager uses is key. Should one go by what the manager says, general manager says, what the players say, or what the medical professional for the team (not always available) says? Some sources are better than others and some are more accurate than others. When listening to what the player says, take whatever they say with a grain of salt. The player usually does not have the final say on how quickly they could get back on the field of play.
Listening to what the general manager says is usually the best information that could be used but they do not always give the whole truth. Finally, when it comes to the manager, some of them should not be listened to at all. From what I have seen, the "old school" managers, such as Ron Washington, tend to let more "slip" and you could get pretty accurate information. Other managers give you misinformation, such as Aaron Boone, while other managers will not address injuries and let general managers do that. I will continue to help you sort out this information to better help your fantasy teams.
Here's a little about myself for both new and returning 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!
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Injured Hitters for Fantasy Baseball
Cody Bellinger (OF, CHC)- Rib: Bellinger was placed on the IL with right rib fractures. These fractures were not seen on X-ray but they were seen on a CT scan. There is no word as to how long this will sideline Bellinger; however, it could be as short as two or three weeks or as long as a month or two. Pete Crow-Armstrong was called up and should get a lot of playing time in the outfield for the Cubs.
Lane Thomas (OF, WAS)- Knee: Thomas was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain on the MCL in his left knee. He was placed on the IL and, although no timetable for his return was given, he could be expected to miss at least one month. Joey Gallo seems to be in line to gain playing time with Thomas out.
Christian Yelich (OF, MIL)- Back: Yelich was placed on the IL with a lower back strain. Yelich has begun running but has not yet begun swinging a bat or throwing. There is still no timeline for his return.
Francisco Alvarez (C, NYM)- Thumb: Alvarez tore his UCL in his left thumb and required surgery to repair it. He is on the IL and is expected to miss at least two months, possibly up to the All-Star break. Omar Narvaez and Tomas Nido will split time behind the plate for the Mets until Alvarez is able to return.
Francisco Alvarez (torn left thumb ligament) confirms this morning that he expects to be sidelined 6-8 weeks.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) April 21, 2024
Seiya Suzuki (OF, CHC)- Oblique: Suzuki was placed on the IL with a moderate right oblique strain. He has begun light activity and is still on a timeline of four to six weeks for his return.
Zack Gelof (2B, OAK)- Oblique: Gelof was placed on the IL this past week with a strained left oblique. The severity is not yet known. Abraham Toro has seen an uptick in playing time with Gelof out.
Gio Urshela (3B, DET)- Hamstring: Urshela is on the IL with a right hamstring strain. The severity is not known but he has progressed to running already. Urshela could be out of commission for up to a month. Matt Vierling has seen more playing time with Urshela out.
Gio Urshela said he has a Grade 1 hamstring strain. He expects to miss a couple of weeks. #Tigers https://t.co/WlfR16pToA
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) April 20, 2024
Triston Casas (1B. BOS)-Rib: Red Sox manager Alex Cora has said that Casas has been diagnosed with a fracture in his left rib cage and will be "out a while." This injury occurred on a swing. Bobby Dalbec was called up and could serve as the everyday first baseman until Casas can return.
#RedSox Triston Casas left the game injured today.
He appears to grab at his left oblique area after this swing. We should get an update sooner than later. pic.twitter.com/IxzJzbNgBj
— Mike Kurland (@Mike_Kurland) April 20, 2024
Dylan Carlson (OF, STL)- Shoulder: Carlson is on the IL with a sprained acromioclavicular (AC) joint of his left shoulder. Cardinal manager Oliver Marmol said this week that Carlson took batting practice from both sides of the plate and that he could begin a rehab assignment soon.
Vaughn Grissom (SS, BOS)- Groin: Grissom is on the IL with a groin strain. Red Sox manager said this week that Grissom is close to being activated from the IL but will not be activated this weekend. Grissom is trending to return from the IL next week.
DJ LeMahieu (2B, NYY)- Foot: LeMahieu is on the IL with a foot fracture. He began a rehab assignment that lasted all of one at-bat and then had a setback. He will be shut down for at least one week. There is no timetable for his return.
Kris Bryant (OF, COL)- Back: Bryant was placed on the IL with a lower back strain. Bryant has not yet begun baseball activities but the Rockies still do not seem concerned with his progress. There is no timetable for his return.
J.P. Crawford (SS, SEA)- Oblique: Crawford was placed on the IL with a Grade 1 right oblique strain. This will usually keep players out two to three weeks. Dylan Moore looks to get more playing time with Crawford out.
Injured Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Blake Snell (SP, SF)- Adductor: Snell was placed on the IL with a Grade 2 adductor sprain. Giants manager Bob Melvin said this week that Snell could spend more than the minimum time on the IL. Medically speaking, this could sideline him for four to six weeks. Snell felt the injury during a side bullpen. Ryan Walker took the immediate spot start when Snell was scratched but Mason Black could be called up to take the rotation spot.
Garrett Whitlock (SP, BOS)- Oblique: Whitlock was placed on the IL with a left oblique strain. Whitlock has begun playing catch but there is still no timetable for his return.
Max Scherzer (SP, TEX)- Back: Scherzer is on recovery from back surgery from this past December. He is scheduled to make his second rehab start next week and may need only one more rehab start before he could make his season debut with the Rangers.
Merrill Kelly (SP, ARI)- Shoulder: Kelly was placed on the IL with a shoulder strain. An MRI confirmed this with a diagnosis of a teres major strain. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said that he expects Kelly to miss at least one month. "We're not looking in terms of weeks as what we had hoped for…So I think the next step up is a month, more than that."
Kyle Hendricks (SP, CHC)- Back: Hendricks was placed on the IL with a lower back strain. The severity is not fully known but he is already scheduled for a bullpen session this weekend. No word on who will replace Hendricks in the rotation.
Brayan Bello (SP, BOS)- Lat: Bello was placed on the IL with right lat tightness. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Bello felt discomfort following his most recent start but the team is optimistic that he will be ready to return after the minimum 15 days.
Gavin Williams (SP, CLE)- Elbow: Williams has been on the IL since March with elbow discomfort. Williams felt some discomfort in his right elbow in his most recent simulated game, will receive an injection, and be shut down for seven days. No other timeline for his return was given.
Frankie Montas (SP, CIN)- Forearm: Montas was struck in his pitching forearm by a line drive. He was placed on the IL with a forearm bruise as the Reds think he will need at least two weeks to recover from this injury. Nick Martinez will most likely fill in for the reds until Montas returns.
Wade Miley (SP, MIL)- Elbow: Miley was placed on the IL with left elbow inflammation. A follow up MRI occurred, and according to Brewers manager Pat Murphy, the results of the MRI were inconclusive. This prompted the Brewers to send Miley back to Cincinnati for an in-person arthrogram. Tobias Myers looks to fill in for the Brewers.
Cristian Javier (SP, HOU)- Neck: Javier was placed on the IL this past week with neck discomfort. The severity of the injury is not yet known. The Astros should be able to go forward with a four-man rotation for the next few weeks until Javier could come back.
DL Hall (SP, MIL)- Knee: Hall sprained his left knee on a bunt play and was placed on the IL. The severity is not known. Bryse Wilson and Jared Koenig are the leading candidates to fill in for the Brewers.
Pat Murphy said DL Hall felt the knee injury fielding a bunt and his velocity was affected. Jared Koenig pitched 3.2 innings in the Padres series. https://t.co/sBGy0BpPjZ
— Sophia Minnaert (@SophiaMinnaert) April 21, 2024
Braxton Garrett (SP, MIA)- Shoulder: Garrett started the season on the IL with left shoulder soreness. Garrett has once again begun a rehab assignment after working through his "dead arm." Garrett may still be one or two weeks away from activation from the IL.
Nick Pivetta (SP, BOS)- Forearm: Pivetta was placed on the IL this week with a flexor strain in his right forearm. Pivetta has thrown off of a mound and may be nearing a rehab stint. Manager Alex Cora has said that Pivetta will need at least one rehab start before he returns.
Kyle Bradish (SP, BAL)- Elbow: Bradish was diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in his pitching elbow. Bradish has made two rehab starts and should have at least one more start over the weekend. After that, the Orioles will have to decide when to activate him from the IL.
Chase Silseth (SP, LAA)- Elbow: Silseth was placed on the IL with a right elbow strain. An MRI revealed only inflammation. He has begun strengthening exercises but has not yet begun to pitch.
A.J. Puk (SP, MIA)- Shoulder: Puk was placed on the IL with left shoulder fatigue. The severity of this injury is not known. Manager Skip Schumaker has said that once Puk returns, he will be relegated to the bullpen.
According to #Marlins manager Skip Schumaker:
When A.J. Puk returns it’ll be out of the bullpen.
As for Sixto Sánchez, it depends whether he gets another start. See how today goes first.
— Christina De Nicola (@CDeNicola13) April 24, 2024
Alec Marsh (SP, KC)- Elbow: Marsh was placed on the IL with a right elbow contusion after being hit in the right elbow with a comebacker. The severity is not yet known. X-rays were negative and Will Klein was called up for bullpen help in the meantime.
#Royals reliever Will Klein will be active today. His first appearance will be his Major League debut. KC’s No. 18 prospect per @MLBPipeline.
RHP Alec Marsh expected to go on the IL.
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) April 25, 2024
Jesus Luzardo (SP, MIA)- Elbow: Luzardo was scratched from his most recent start for the Marlins. He is set to undergo further testing and it may not be a reach that he will end up on the IL. Anthony Maldonado was called up to take his spot in the Marlins rotation for now.
Injured Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Jhoan Duran (MIN, RP)- Oblique: Duran is on the IL with a Grade 2 oblique strain. He has begun a rehab stint and may be ready for activation from the IL sometime next week. Of note, his velocity during his rehab stint is sitting at 98 mph, which is lower than his norm.
Matt Brash (RP, SEA)- Elbow: Brash is on the IL with right elbow inflammation. He had a few live bullpen sessions and may begin a rehab assignment soon.
Brusdar Graterol- (RP, LAD)- Shoulder: Graterol is on the 60-day IL with shoulder inflammation. He has recently had a setback, and the Dodgers have shut him down due to his shoulder remaining sore. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said this week “It's going to be a long program" to get him back.
Brusdar Graterol has been shut down from his throwing progression again, Dave Roberts said today. Just hasn’t been bouncing back well. Going to be a longer process, it seems.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) April 24, 2024
Pete Fairbanks (RP, TB)- Arm: The Rays have placed Fairbanks on the IL with a “nerve issue.” They have not said anything else about the injury at this time. Jason Adam looks to be the main recipient of more save opportunities with Fairbanks out.
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