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Dr. Reuven's (@mlbinjuryguru) fantasy baseball injury updates for Week 25 (2023). His medical background helps analyze MLB injuries for hitters and pitchers.
The middle of September is the time of year when some injured players get the unwanted tag of "done for the year." For some fantasy players, it is hard to drop the big-name players that have helped them throughout the season. Unless you play in a keeper league, those injured player fantasy values may be lower than that of most waiver wire pickups. It may be time to cut the cord, so to speak.
Injured pitchers usually have a longer road to recovery than hitting. They usually need to be "built back up." There is not enough time left in September for those pitchers to be able to return much fantasy value. If you do not like what you see on the waiver wire starting pitching market, grab a reliever. They may help your ratios (ERA and WHIP) and vulture a save here or there.
Injured hitters are a different story. Some hitters may need little or no rehab time. But then you as a fantasy manager have a question. Do you play that hitter, who may be at 85% health and may not get you the stats you need? Or do you play a healthy hitter who is getting playing time? I will continue to highlight the injured players and when (and if) they will come back this year.
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Injured Hitters for Fantasy Baseball
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!
Shohei Ohtani (DH, LAA)- Oblique: Ohtani injured his right oblique during batting practice last week. He has missed a few games and has the possibility he could be missing more time with the Angels just playing out the string.
Bo Bichette (SS, TOR)- Quad- Bo Bichette was placed on the IL with a right quadriceps strain. He has been running wind sprints this week. The earliest he could be activated from the IL is September 8.
Adolis Garcia (OF, TEX)- Knee: 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 yet known. The good news is that it is not a rupture like Edwin Diaz suffered during the World Baseball Classic. Evan Carter was called up and J.P. Martinez and Ezequiel Duran could see more playing time.
Mike Trout (OF, LAA)- Wrist: Trout is on the IL with a recurrence of his wrist following his fracture healing. Trout said this week that he plans on playing again this year. He had more tests performed on his wrist which came back normal. Trout admitted that he came back too soon following his original injury.
Jorge Soler (OF, MIA)- Oblique: Soler was placed on the IL this week with a right oblique strain. He injured himself in his first game back after missing five due to right hip tightness. Severity is not yet known but a typical timeline of a return from this injury could have him missing most of the rest of the season.
Patrick Bailey (C, SF)- Head: Bailey was placed on the concussion IL after he was involved in a home plate collision this week. Joey Bart was called. Bailey will be able to return as soon as he clears the concussion protocols.
Andrew McCutchen (OF, PIT)- Achilles: McCutchen was placed on the IL with a partial tear in his left Achilles. He will be in a walking boot for the next six weeks, thus ending his season. McCutchen has already said that he wants to play again next year.
Matt McLain (SS, CIN)- Oblique: Matt McLain was placed on the IL with a right oblique strain. Reds manager David Bell said this past week that McLain will be sidelined for two to three weeks. That would give him a very short rehab window for him to come back and play this year.
Matt Chapman (3B, TOR)- Finger: Matt Chapman was placed on the IL with a right middle finger sprain. Chapman is still waiting for the swelling and inflammation in his right middle finger to go down before ramping up baseball activities. He has been able to field grounders, but he's not clear to throw yet or swing a bat. Chapman will be re-evaluated this weekend.
Riley Greene (OF, DET)- Elbow: Green was placed on the IL with right elbow inflammation. This injury occurred after he made a diving catch in the outfield. He will be shut down for a bit and have an MRI at which time a return timeline will be more clear. Tyler Nevin was called up.
Byron Buxton (OF, MIN)- Hamstring: Byron Buxton was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain. Buxton is on a rehab assignment. He played one game then had his rehab paused due to a flare-up of patellar tendinitis in his right knee. This will push back his return date and put into question Buxton playing the outfield when he returns.
Gary Sanchez (C, SD)- Wrist: Sanchez was diagnosed with a fractured wrist. He is done for the year. Luis Campusano figures to take over as San Diego's primary catcher for the remainder of the year.
Jonathan India (SS, CIN)- Foot: Jonathan India is on the IL with left foot plantar fasciitis. He is scheduled to possibly begin a rehab assignment this weekend. This could lead to a return from the IL this coming week.
Anthony Rizzo (1B, NYY)- Head: Rizzo is on the concussion IL and has been trying to rehab to come back this year. Manager Aaron Boone said this week that Rizzo will be shut down for the rest of the 2023 season.
Danny Jansen (C, TOR)- Finger: Jansen is on the IL with a fractured right middle finger. He visited with a hand specialist this week to see if he will require surgery. Either way, this fracture should keep him out for the remainder of the year. Tyler Heineman is now the backup for Alejandro Kirk at catcher for the Blue Jays.
Joey Votto (1B, CIN)- Shoulder: Joey Votto is on the IL with left shoulder soreness. Votto has not yet resumed full baseball activities as he is being eased into his rehab. Votto is eligible to come off the IL on September 10.
Injured Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Sandy Alcantara (SP, MIA)- Forearm: Alcantara was placed on the IL this week with a right forearm flexor strain. This was done after Alcantara informed the Marlins after his last start that he was experiencing some discomfort in his pitching arm. He underwent some testing and the Marlins decided to place him on the IL. The severity of the injury is not yet publicly known.
Adrian Houser (SP, MIL)- Elbow: Adrian Houser was placed on the IL with an elbow injury. Houser has thrown a bullpen session and is seemingly on track for a September 12 return from the IL.
Walker Buehler (SP, LAD)- Elbow: Walker Buehler is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery last year. He has begun a rehab assignment and has at least two more planned starts. One is this weekend before he is activated from the IL.
Matt Manning (SP, DET)- Foot: Manning suffered a fractured right foot this week when he was hit in the foot by a comebacker. He had missed significant time this year with a fracture in the same foot. He is done for the year.
Kyle Wright (SP, ATL)- Shoulder: Wright is on the IL and is currently rehabbing back for a shoulder strain. Wright said this week that he expects to make at least one more minor-league rehab start. At that point, it will be up to the Braves to decide when to activate him.
Michael Soroka (SP, ATL)- Forearm: Soroka was placed on the IL this week with right forearm inflammation. He dealt with numbness in the fingers on his pitching hand during his last start. There is no timetable for his return and this type of injury usually requires a minimum of four weeks for recovery/rehab. He is considered done for the year.
Graham Ashcraft (SP, CIN)- Toe: Ashcraft was placed on the IL with a stress reaction in his right big toe. He is expected to miss multiple starts. Chasen Shreve was called up.
Carlos Carrasco (SP, NYM)- Finger: Carrasco was placed on the IL with a fractured right pinky finger. This injury occurred when a weight fell on his hand in the weight room. He is expected to miss four to six weeks, thus ending his season. Jose Butto should fill in for him down the stretch for the Mets.
Marcus Stroman (SP, CHC)- Ribs: Marcus Stroman is on the IL with a right rib cage cartilage fracture. He threw a few bullpen sessions this week. His last start was July 31, which makes his coming back as a full stretched-out starter before the season ends unlikely. He could be going out on a rehab assignment soon.
Michael Grove (SP, LAD)- Lat: Grove is on the IL with right lat tightness. He is expected to return to the Dodgers early next week and most likely to pitch out of the bullpen.
Corey Kluber: (SP, BOS)- Kluber is on the IL with a shoulder injury. His rehab has started and stopped a few times because of setbacks. He has once again been cleared to restart his rehab assignment.
Injured Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Felix Bautista (RP, BAL)- Elbow: Felix Bautista was placed on the IL with a UCL injury. He has had an MRI and will wait for some of the inflammation to go down until the Orioles decide whether to start his rehab from this injury.
Edwin Diaz (RP, NYM)- Knee: Edwin Diaz continues to rehab from spring knee surgery. He was scheduled to throw two bullpen sessions this week. The possibility of Diaz returning in the next week or two is starting to become more likely.
Jason Adam (RP, TB)- Oblique: Adams was placed on the IL this week with a left oblique strain. The severity is not yet known. This type of injury is usually a four to six-week injury for pitchers. Taj Bradley was called up.
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