RADIO
We have made it to a crucial checkpoint in the fantasy baseball season. New trends for players for this year are no longer just trends as we have seen two months' worth of baseball. The injury bug has hit every fantasy team in some way, shape, or form. For most fantasy players, it has negatively affected our seasons. But, there is a way to utilize these injured players to our benefit.
Most fantasy teams, when hit with injuries, usually end up having a roster crunch. Some injured players who are known to have to miss significant time are sometimes cut. Some of these players sit on the waiver wire for weeks until we start hearing news of them beginning to ramp up for a return. The time to pounce on these free agents is to pick them up, cheaper, two to three weeks before they become hot commodities again. Knowing when players should be coming back helps greatly and I will continue to highlight these players as well as other fantasy-relevant injured players.
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 and have a 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, which 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
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B, MIA) - Toe: Chisholm was placed on the IL with turf toe in his right foot. Chislom continues to work on his upper body conditioning. He is expected to be out for at least another ten days to two weeks. He had visited a specialist in North Carolina this past week and the thought was that he could require four to six weeks of rest and rehab.
Eloy Jimenez (OF, CHW) - Appendix: Jimenez underwent an emergency appendectomy for appendicitis in early May. He is on a rehab assignment with the hope that he could return as early as today.
Manny Machado (3B, SD) - Hand: Machado was hit by a pitch on his left hand this past Monday. Initial tests were normal but after further imaging, a fracture was seen and was placed on the IL. Padres manager Bob Melvin does not know when to expect Machado back but Machado has already begun hitting off of a tee. The earliest he could have returned was this weekend but that does not look like it will happen. There is a possibility that he could return by May 30th. Ha-Seong Kim looks to get most of the playing time at third for the Padres until Machado can come back.
Jorge Polanco (SS, MIN) - Hamstring: Polanco has been diagnosed with a mild left hamstring strain and is on the IL. He has begun hitting but it does not look likely he will return when first eligible on May 30th. Edouard Julien was called up. No timeline has been given for Polanco's possible return.
Dylan Carlson (OF, STL) - Ankle: Carlson was placed on the IL with a left ankle sprain. The hope is that he could be ready for activation when first eligible next Thursday. He has begun taking batting practice from the right side of the plate only so far. Oscar Mercado was called up though Lars Nootbaar should serve as the Cardinals' primary center field. Sprained ankles usually take three to six weeks to fully heal.
C.J. Cron (1B, COL) - Back: Cron was placed on the IL with back spasms. The severity is not yet known. He is expected to begin swinging again soon. Mike Moustakas has seen an increase in playing time and Michael Toglia is also an option for the Rockies.
Anthony Rendon (3B, LAA) - Groin: Rendon was placed on the IL with a left groin strain, retroactive to May 14. Angels manager Phil Nevin said this week that they received positive news this week from Rendon's MRI but no timeline was given for his return. He has begun some field work but no fielding. Gio Urshela should see more playing time with Rendon out.
Joc Pederson (OF, SF) - Hand: Pederson was placed on the IL with a right hand contusion which occurred when he tried to bunt. His placement is retroactive to May 13. he has not been able to grip a bat yet. Pederson was hopeful in spending a limited time on the IL but that now does not look likely to be the case.
Tyler O'Neill (OF, STL) - Back: O’Neill was placed on the IL with a lower back strain. O’Neill was thought to have begun a rehab assignment this week but has not progressed to baseball activity as of yet. He has just begun taking light swings only.
Victor Robles (OF, WAS) - Back: Robles was placed on the IL with back spasms. Robles has been on the IL for almost two weeks and his back has yet to show any improvement. Alex Call has been getting most of the playing time with Robles out.
Willy Adames (SS, MIL) - Head: Adames was placed on the concussion IL after he was struck in the head by a foul ball off the bat of teammate Brian Anderson. Adames was leaning on the railing in the dugout when it happened. He suffered a concussion, but the good news is that Adames was alert and responsive throughout the evening, and he did not suffer any fractures. Andruw Monasterio was called up but Brice Turang should see the bulk of playing time with Adames out.
Max Kepler (OF, MIN) - Hamstring: Kepler is on the IL with a left hamstring strain. Kepler has hit pregame on the field this weekend. He had been reportedly running at 70 percent on May 20 and his return appeared imminent. Kepler may still need a rehab assignment as he has been out since May 11th.
Giancarlo Stanton (DH, NYY) - Hamstring: Stanton has been out with a hamstring strain, Grade 2, since April 16th. Stanton took on-field batting practice against a pitching machine this past Friday. He is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment early next week and could return from the IL by next weekend.
Michael Brantley (OF, HOU) - Shoulder: Brantley has been shut down since May 12 after it was revealed he was dealing with inflammation in his surgically repaired right shoulder. Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters Friday that Brantley has been swinging a bat but has not resumed hitting yet. It is very likely that once he progresses some more, he will need a rehab assignment again.
Joey Bart (C, SF) - Groin: Bart is on the IL and was recently diagnosed with a Grade 1 left groin strain based on MRI. This is the mildest strain and has a chance to return before the end of May. Patrick Bailey has been filling in for the Giants,
Josh Donaldson (3B, NYY) - Hamstring Donaldson has been rehabbing from his hamstring injury which landed him on the IL. He is scheduled to be evaluated after playing in a minor-league game on Sunday and could be activated from the IL soon.
Cody Bellinger (OF, CHC) - Knee: Bellinger was placed on the IL with a left knee contusion after banging it into the wall. He has yet to resume baseball activities other than light hitting work as of this past week. He continues to rest and get treatment for the knee. There is no timeline for his return yet. Mike Tauchman is covering center field for the Cubs and Christopher Morel has been getting more playing time.
Danny Jansen (C, TOR) - Groin: Jansen was placed on the IL with a left groin strain. Jansen suffered a groin injury while running to first base. The severity is not yet known. Alejandro Kirk will likely fill in as the Blue Jays primary catcher and Tyler Heineman was called up to be the backup.
Jesus Sanchez (OF, MIA) - Hamstring: Sanchez has been on the IL with a right hamstring strain since May 14th. He is expected to be activated from the IL this week.
Avisail Garcia (OF, MIA) - Back: Garcia was placed on the IL with back tightness on April 29th. He is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this week and could return by the end of the week.
Injured Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Jacob deGrom (SP, TEX) - Elbow: deGrom is on the IL with right elbow inflammation. deGrom threw a bullpen with all of his pitches over the weekend but it is still not known if he will require a rehab stint before being activated from the IL.
Wade Miley (SP, MIL) - Lat: Miley was placed on the IL with a strained left lat suffered during his last active start. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks. This could put him on a timeline to return end of June beginning of July. The Brewers have since signed Julio Teheran to help fill their rotation.
Carlos Rodon (SP, NYY) - Back: Rodon continues to try to make progress from his low back injury that has him on the IL at this time. He threw a bullpen session this past week but will still need a pretty lengthy rehab stint before being activated as he is yet to start this year.
Forrest Whitley (SP, HOU) - Shoulder: Whitley was taken out of his last start with right shoulder discomfort. The Astros are saying his removal was precautionary, but Whitley just recently missed a couple of weeks of action with shoulder issues and he ended last season with a shoulder problem, as well.
Brad Keller (SP, KC) - Shoulder: Keller was placed on the IL with right shoulder impingement syndrome. The usual treatment for this is an injection and rest. There is no timetable for his return but he was scheduled to have a bullpen session this weekend.
Spencer Turnbull (SP, DET) - Neck: Turnbull was recalled by the Tigers and then placed on the IL with neck discomfort He has yet to resume throwing. Multiple MRI scans have shown that Turnbull's neck has been healing, just very slowly. He's scheduled for another MRI in two weeks, at which point the Tigers will re-evaluate the situation and determine whether or not he can begin a throwing program.
John Means (SP, BAL) - Elbow/Back: Means has been recovering from Tommy John surgery. Orioles general manager Mike Elias revealed recently that Means recently suffered a muscle strain in his upper back. The strain is in the scapular area but it is not known if it is his throwing shoulder. He had been on track to join the Orioles around the All-Star break but he can probably now be ruled out through at least the end of July.
Max Fried (SP, ATL) - Forearm: Fried is on the IL with a left forearm strain. He was able to play catch on flat ground this past Thursday. Fried is basically going to have to build up from scratch after being shut down for more than two weeks with a left forearm strain. If all goes well, he could beat his initial recovery date of around the All-Star break and be back at the end of June instead.
Andrew Painter (SP, PHI) - Forearm: Painter is recovering from a UCL sprain in his elbow. He has begun throwing "short" bullpen sessions. He has already progressed from long toss to throwing from the front of the mound, roughly 50-to-55 feet away from the plate. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said that he expects Painter to pitch in game action this season. Expect the Phillies, though, to be very careful with him as he is their top pitching prospect.
Mike Clevinger (SP, CHW) - Wrist: Clevinger has been on the IL while dealing with right wrist inflammation. He was scheduled to throw a bullpen session over the weekend and if all goes well, follow it up with a live batting practice session a couple of days after that. The goal is for Clevinger to skip a rehab assignment and be activated from the IL when first eligible on June 2nd.
Julio Urias (SP, LAD) - Hamstring: Urias is on the IL with a left hamstring strain. He did not throw off of the bullpen mound this weekend as planned. He has been able to go through a full workout and throw from flat ground. This may set his return date back a week or two.
Brandon Woodruff (SP, MIL) - Shoulder: Woodruff has resumed playing catch after he recently took a four to five-day pause in his throwing program. He has been on the IL with a Grade 2 subscapular strain in his shoulder. Woodruff did not say the reason for the break in his throwing program. If all goes well, he still has a return target date of the end of June.
Jose Urquidy (SP, HOU) - Shoulder: Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters this past Friday that Urquidy has begun throwing on flat ground. He noted that Urquidy will still have to build his arm back up, but he also mentioned that the shoulder inflammation that landed him on the IL is in the past. It is still possible that Urquidy could be able to return to the Astros rotation around the All-Star break.
Vince Velasquez (SP, PIT) - Elbow: Velasquez was on the IL with right elbow inflammation. He started a game on May 27th but was again removed with elbow discomfort. The severity is not known but this is a major setback and could cause him to miss a significant amount of time.
Triston McKenzie (SP, CLE) - Shoulder: Mckenzie has been on the IL since late March with a right teres major strain. He pitched into the 5th inning of his last rehab start and could be activated as early as this week.
Injured Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Jose Alvarado (RP, PHI) - Elbow: Alvarado was placed on the IL with left elbow inflammation. He underwent an MRI which showed no structural damage and just inflammation. Alvarado has thrown one bullpen session, hitting 98MPH but has yet to throw a second session.
Liam Hendriks (RP, CHW) - Illness: Hendriks threw a live round of batting practice Friday in Detroit and could be activated as early as this weekend. Hendriks has been rehabbing since he finished his treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
A.J. Puk (RP, MIA) - Elbow: Puk was placed on the IL with left elbow nerve irritation. Puk had already progressed to throwing from 60 feet and had his first bullpen session this weekend. There is still no timeline for his return. Dylan Floro and Tanner Scott will continue to close for the Marlins.
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