Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates for Week 5

Dr. Reuven's (@mlbinjuryguru) fantasy baseball injury updates for Week 5. His medical background helps analyze the injured MLB players and their recoveries.

Injuries are commonplace in all sports. Baseball has seen the rate of injury continue to rise over the past few years. In fantasy, if someone is not in the medical field, it is hard to gauge how long a player will be out and whether they need to be replaced in a lineup. Sometimes this could mean playing a dead roster spot and losing the opportunity to have a full week of stats. Watching a play and watching the mechanism of injury can say a lot about the type of injury that has been sustained. The mechanism of injury is one of the ways of diagnosing the problem.

My name is Reuven Guy. I grew up playing baseball, watching baseball and wanting to go into medicine. I was able to combine both of my loves. I am a practicing physician assistant in the state of New York in the fields of orthopedics and physical medicine/pain management. I have been treating patients with the same type of injuries that have been affecting athletes in a private practice setting for the past 15 years. Having this base of knowledge, it is easier to “predict” what the injury could be and how long a player will be out.

During the course of the season in this weekly article, I will be going over MLB player injuries. I will be hunting down the latest updates and have sources to back me up. I will be highlighting the type of injury it is, try to diagnose an injury that has not been diagnosed yet, discuss the extent of injury, and how long the player will be out. I will also be listing the “next man up” when it comes to playing time if the player will be out. This year, I will also have a listing of all fantasy-relevant players affected by COVID-19 and COVID-19 protocols. Hopefully, this will help you create and manage a more competitive fantasy lineup.

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Injury "Guy"de for the Week of August 16, 2020

Carlos Rodon (SP, CHW)- Shoulder- Rodon has been dealing with left shoulder soreness and was placed on the IL. Rodon's velocity dropped below 90. He is still only playing catch on flat ground. At this point, his earliest return is the end of August.

Andrelton Simmons (SS, LAA) - Ankle - Simmons was placed on the IL with a left ankle sprain which he sustained trying to beat out a ground ball. He recently had some “live at bats” and Manager Joe Maddon said he is “a lot closer” to return.

Charlie Morton (SP, TB) -Shoulder- Morton was placed on the IL this week with shoulder inflammation. Morton threw from 120 feet August 13 and 14, felling good afterwards, and is eligible to return from the IL next week.

Adam Haseley (OF, PHI) - Wrist- Haseley was placed on the IL with a sprained left wrist. Severity and the time of the injury are unclear. Alec Bohm was called up to replace him on the roster.

Roenis Elias (RP, WAS)- Forearm- Elias is on the IL with a forearm strain. Manager Dave Martinez says Elías threw the other day and had a setback, feeling pain his forearm. The manager adds that they will take their time with Elías, which makes it seem unlikely that he will return in the near future.

Ken Giles (RP, TOR) - Forearm - Giles was placed on the IL with forearm mass strain in the flexor muscle and has been shut down. He is scheduled for an updated MRI and another doctor evaluation soon. Giles was able to play catch on August 14, which is a step in the right direction.

Reynaldo Lopez (SP, CHW) - Shoulder - Lopez was placed on the IL with a sore right shoulder. His MRI revealed inflammation only. Lopez is scheduled to throw a simulated game later this week.

Wade Davis (RP, COL) - Shoulder- Manager Bud Black said yesterday that Davis is still receiving treatment and hasn't resumed throwing. Davis is dealing with a shoulder strain. Jairo Diaz and Carlos Estevez are in the mix for saves.

Nick Madrigal (2B, CHW) - Shoulder- Madrigal was diagnosed with a separated left shoulder and was placed on the IL. The typical healing time of a separated shoulder can range from two to twelve weeks based on severity. He hopes to be out only the two weeks.

Madison Bumgarner (SP, ARI) - Back- Bumgarner was placed on the IL with a mid-back strain. No word on severity. He was able to play catch mid week though. Alex Young could fill in.

Giancarlo Stanton (OF, NYY)- Hamstring- Stanton was diagnosed with a grade 1 hamstring strain. This usually has a 3-4 week recovery period. Mike Ford and Clint Frazier will see most of the at bats in his absence.

Aaron Judge (OF, NYY)- Lower Body- Judge was taken out of one game and missed another game this week with what was called lower body tightness. Manager Aaron Boone mentioned hips, hamstrings, calves as injury site. Judge reportedly wanted to play, but the Yankees are being overly cautious and won't want to let tightness turn into a more serious injury. Judge was placed on the IL with a mild calf strain. Mike Tauchman, Mike Ford and Clint Frazier will see more playing time.

Leury Garcia (SS/OF, CHW)- Thumb- Garcia left a game earlier this week with a thumb injury following a head-first slide into first base. X-Rays were negative. Garcia was placed on the IL and Tim Anderson was activated to take his spot on the roster.

Franchy Cordero (OF, KC)- Wrist- Cordero underwent surgery on his right hamate bone (wrist) this week. This surgery usually takes four to six weeks for a full recovery. Do not count on him making an impact this year.

David Robertson (RP, PHI)- Elbow- Robertson will throw in Philadelphia within the next few days before heading to the team's alternate training site to work out. Robertson had Tommy John surgery August 2019 and may be in the mix for saves when he comes back.

Brendan McKay (SP/DH, TB)- Shoulder- Manager Kevin Cash said that McKay is dealing with shoulder irritation and is being shut down for 7-to-10 days. McKay was on the COVID IL earlier this summer and began to feel the shoulder pain while ramping up.

Joe Musgrove (SP/RP, PIT)- Triceps- Musgrove was placed on the IL with right triceps inflammation. No word on severity yet. Chad Kuhl could fill his rotation spot for the Pirates.

Kirby Yates (RP, SD)- Soreness- Manager Jayce Tingler said after Monday's game that Yates has "soreness in his body," and said there's still a "great chance he'll be in there" for the next save opportunity. This is just something to monitor as the season goes on.

C.J. Cron (1B, DET)- Knee- Cron was placed on the IL with a left knee injury. Cron acknowledged that he will eventually require surgery on his left knee, but he remains hopeful to play again this season before undergoing a procedure over the winter. The Tigers are waiting for the swelling to go down to evaluate further 1st and he's been told his knee cap could "pop out at any time.” Asked if there was a risk of making it worse by coming back this year, Cron said, "Yeah, probably. It's kind of just floating around in there."

Nick Burdi (RP, PIT)- Elbow-Burdi was placed on the IL with forearm soreness. Burdi will not require surgery for now and received a PRP injection instead.

Jeff Samardzija (SP, SF)- Shoulder- Samardzija was placed on the IL with shoulder soreness. He will be reevaluated when the Giants return from their road trip. However, Samardzija is still without a timetable for his return, and the outlook doesn't appear to be particularly good. Following an MRI from this past Saturday, he's been diagnosed with both inflammation and an impingement in his right rotator cuff. Trevor Cahill has stepped into the rotation in his absence.

Michael Wacha (SP, NYM)- Shoulder- Wacha was placed on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. He did throw from 75 feet earlier this week. He reportedly felt good following the throwing session. There is no timeline for his return. Robert Gsellman is being converted back into a starter to start in his place for now.

Andrew Benintendi (OF, BOS)- Rib- Benintendi was placed on the IL with a strained right rib cage. X-rays were negative. There is no timeline for his return however he is expected to spend more than ten days on the IL. KevinPillar, Alex Verdugo and Jackie Bradley should man the Red Sox outfield for now.

Ozzie Albies (SS, ATL) -Wrist- Albies was placed on the IL with wrist soreness/bone contusion. Albies was shut down for a week to see if it heals. Manager Brian Snitker said that he wouldn’t throw or hit for at least a week. He also said that Albies will not return next week. Albies was, however, able to hit off of a tee on August 14. Adeiny Hechavarria and Johan Camargo continue to fill in during his time on the IL.

Josh Donaldson (3B, MIN) - Calf- Donaldson was placed on the IL due to a right calf injury. Donaldson missed three months with a calf injury in 2018 and missed a few games in 2019 due to a calf injury. Donaldson has done some running but no sprinting. "It's not something that's ramping up very quickly at the moment," manager Rocco Baldelli said. Marwin Gonzalez will continue to see an uptick in playing time while Donaldson is out.

Mike Moustakas (2B/3B, CIN)- Quad- Moustakas is on the IL with a bruised quad. Moustakas has yet to run or face live pitching as of August 11. He is still optimistic and expects to be able to return when first eligible Sunday.

Yonny Chirinos (SP, TB)- Triceps- Manager Kevin Cash said that Chirinos had a successful bullpen session. Chirinos could be activated off of the IL as soon as this coming week.

Robinson Chirinos (C, TEX)- Ankle- Chirinos was placed on the IL with a sprained right ankle, retroactive to August 11. No word yet on the severity of the injury. Jeff Mathis will now get the bulk of the catching duty for Texas.

Updated List of Fantasy-Relevant Players Affected by COVID-19

Please note: Although a player may have returned, they may not be up to game speed yet and may still be on the IL or not ready to play. Multiple Miami Marlin and St. Louis Cardinal players have tested positive however the full list of affected players is not known. Also please note that the COVID IL can range from a few days to weeks and symptomatic players with negative COVID testing will miss less games.

Alcantara, Sandy (SP, MIA)
Alvarez, Yordan (DH, HOU)- Returned
Astudillo, Willians (C, MIN)- Returned
Beer, Seth (1B, ARI) - Returned
Bethancourt, Christian (RP, PHI)
Blackmon, Charlie (OF, COL) - Returned
Brito, Socrates (OF, PIT)- Returned
Brinson, Lewis (OF, MIA)- Returned
Cabrera, Genesis (RP, STL)- Returned
Calhoun, Kole (OF, ARI) - Returned
Cano, Robinson (1B/2B, NYM) - Returned
Chapman, Aroldis (RP, NYY)- Returning
Cessa, Luis (RP, NYY)- Returned
Chirinos, Yonny (SP/RP, TB)- Returned
d’Arnuad, Travis (C, ATL)- Returned
Davidson, Matt- (DH, CIN)- Returned
deJong, Paul (SS, STL)
DeShields, Delino (OF, CLE)- Returned
Diaz, Elias (C, COL)
Dietrich, Derek (1B/OF, CHC)- Returned
Dozier, Hunter (3B/OF, KC)
Drury, Brandon (3B, TOR)- Returned
Elias, Roenis (RP, SEA)- Returned
Flowers, Tyler (C, ATL)- Returned
Freeman, Freddie (1B, ATL) - Returned
Garica, Jarlin (RP, SF)
Glasnow, Tyler (SP, TB) - Returned
Grichuk, Randal (OF, TOR)- Returned
Guerra, Junior (RP, ARI) - Returned
Hamilton, Billy (OF, SF)- Returned
Haseley, Adam (OF, PHI) - Returned
Hayes, Ke'Bryan (3B, PIT)- Returned
Hernandez, Darwinzon (RP, BOS) - Returned
Hirano, Yoshii (RP, SEA)- Returned
Hunter, Tommy (RP, PHI)- Returned
Jansen, Kenley (RP, LAD) - Returned
Joyce, Matt (OF, MIA)- Returned
Kela, Keone (RP, PIT)- Returned
Keller, Brad (SP, KC)- Returned
Kendrick, Howie (1B/2B/3B/OF, WAS) - Returned
Kingery, Scott (2B/3B/SS/OF, PHI) - Returned
Lauer, Eric (SP, MIL)- Returned
LeMahieu, DJ (1B/2B, NYY) - Returned
Luzardo, Jesus (SP, OAK) - Returned
McKay, Brendan (SP, TB)- Returned
Mahtook, Mikie (OF, DET)- Returned
Margot, Manuel (OF, TB)- Returned
Martinez, Carlos (SP/RP, STL)
Mateo, Jorge (SS, SD)- Returned
Mazara, Nomar- (OF, CHW)- Returned
Meadows, Austin (OF, TB)- Returned
Moncada, Yoan (3B, CHW) - Returned
Molina, Yadier (C, STL)
Neris, Hector (RP, PHI)- Returned
Nola, Aaron (SP, PHI) - Returned
Norris, Daniel (SP, DET)- Returned
O'Hearn, Ryan (1B, KC)- Returned
Perez, Salvador (C, KC)- Returned
Pham, Tommy (OF, SD) - Returned
Robles, Victor (OF, WAS)- Returned
Rodriguez, Eduardo (SP, BOS)- Returned but out for the year with COVID complications.
Rojas, Miguel (SS, MIA)
Sano, Miguel (1B/3B, MIN) - Returned
Smith, Caleb (SP, MIA)
Smith, Will (RP, ATL)- Returning
Soto, Juan (OF, WAS)- Returned
Suero, Wander (RP, WAS)- Returned
Teheran, Julio (SP, LAA)- Returned
Toussaint, Touki (SP/RP, ATL)- Returned
Urena, Jose (SP, MIA)
Urias, Luis (2B/SS, MIL)- Returned
Urquidy, Jose (SP, HOU)- Returning

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