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Dr. Reuven's (@mlbinjuryguru) fantasy baseball injury updates for Week 18 of the 2022 MLB season. His medical background helps analyze injured MLB players and their recoveries.
The trade deadline in Major League Baseball is now in our rearview mirror. The deals done at the deadline did not disappoint in magnitude. Some of the players that were traded for were injured players and some players will be filling spots of currently injured players. This is very much like how fantasy teams are being managed at this time as well, albeit fantasy teams usually also have a waiver wire. Players coming back from injury may affect league standings and final league trades. Knowing when injured players are coming back or how long they will be out is key to your success from now to the end of the season.
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 period, which has helped me get an advantage in this aspect of fantasy baseball, which I hope to share with you.
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Injured Hitters for Fantasy Baseball
Mike Trout (OF, LAA)- Ribs: Trout is currently on the IL with a rib injury. He is dealing with costovertebral dysfunction. It is somewhat related to the right ribcage inflammation. He received a cortisone shot and could begin swinging a bat soon.
Julio Rodriguez (OF, SEA)- Wrist: Rodriguez was placed on the IL with a right wrist contusion. Rodriguez was hit in the right wrist by a pitch. Mariners general manager Jerry DiPoto said on August 4th that Rodriguez is about six days from returning from the IL.
Fernando Tatis Jr. (SS, SD)- Wrist: Tatis is on the IL following pre-season wrist surgery for a fracture. Tatis took batting practice and could begin a rehab assignment as soon as this weekend.
Enrique Hernandez (OF, BOS)- Hip: Hernandez is on the IL with a right hip strain. Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that Hernandez responded well to swinging a bat, the first step in his rehab following his PRP injection. Hernandez is hopeful to return sometime by the end of August but is not yet near game action.
Juan Yepez (OF, STL)- Forearm: Yepez was placed on the IL with a right forearm strain. It has been diagnosed as a Grade 2 strain. Yepez has begun swinging a bat but has not yet begun throwing. Yepez did say that he is no longer feeling discomfort in his forearm. Albert Pujols, Corey Dickerson, and Lars Nootbaar should continue to see increased playing time in his absence.
Bryce Harper (OF, PHI)- Thumb: Harper is on the IL following left thumb surgery. Harper had his pins removed from his surgically repaired left thumb. He will now be able to ramp up his rehab as has targeted a September return.
Giancarlo Stanton (OF, NYY)- Achilles: Stanton was placed on the IL with left Achilles tendonitis, retroactive to July 24. Stanton has been cleared to begin baseball activities but there is no timeline for his return. Matt Carpenter may continue to see more playing time with Stanton out
Tyler Stephenson (C, CIN)- Shoulder: Stephenson was placed on the IL with a broken right clavicle which he sustained when he was hit in the shoulder by a foul ball. He underwent surgery, with a plate and screws as seen on his Twitter account, and should be out until at least September 21. Michael Papierski and Mark Kolozsvary will fill in.
Austin Meadows (OF, DET)- Achilles: Meadows is on the IL due to bilateral Achilles tendon strains. Haniger has not been running but was taking batting practice this week. The earliest return date for Haniger is sometime in mid-August.
Evan Longoria (3B, SF)- Hamstring: Longoria was placed on the IL with a hamstring strain. Longoria has begun a running progression but there is no timetable for his return. J.D. Davis and Wilmer Flores will continue to see more playing time with Longoria out.
Ozzie Albies (2B, ATL)- Foot: Albies has been on the IL since having surgery for a fractured left foot. He got out of his walking boot last week and is taking part in light baseball activities. Following the ramp-up of activities, he will have a rehab assignment and could be activated from the IL towards the end of August, barring any setbacks.
Omar Narvaez (C, MIL)- Quad: Narvaez was placed on the IL with a left quad strain. The severity is not yet known. Victor Caritini and Mario Feliciano will fill in for the Brewers.
Joc Pederson (Of, SFG)- Head: Pederson was placed on the seven-day IL concussion list. He is still having headaches and has a history of a prior concussion. Jason Vosler was called up and LaMonte Wade will get more starts with Pederson out.
Trevor Story (SS, BOS)- Hand:- Story was placed on the IL with a bruised right hand. Story was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his wrist. He may now be out until the end of August or the beginning of September. Christian Arroyo will see more playing time with Story out.
Kole Calhoun (OF, TEX)- Foot: Calhoun was placed on the IL with right heel irritation. The severity is not yet known. Bubba Thompson should get more playing time with Calhoun out.
Francisco Mejia (C, TB)- Shoulder: Mejia was placed on the IL with right shoulder impingement. He has begun a rehab assignment and could return to the Rays sometime next week.
Brandon Crawford (SS, SF)- Knee: Crawford was placed on the IL with a right knee injury. He has been on a rehab assignment and should be activated on August 6.
Avisail Garcia (OF, MIA)- Hamstring: Garcia was placed on the IL with a strained left hamstring. The severity is not yet known and Garrett Cooper was activated off of the IL. JJ Bleday could now see extended time in the Marlins’ starting lineup.
Jon Berti (2B, MIA)- Groin: Berti was placed on the IL with a left groin strain. The severity is not yet known. Berti has been hitting in the batting cage and began baseball activities. The step would be a rehab assignment, starting this weekend. He will be joined by Brian Anderson during the same rehab stint, who is coming back from a shoulder injury.
Harrison Bader (OF, NYY)- Foot: Bader is on the IL with plantar fasciitis of the right foot. He is in a walking boot and, barring any setbacks, he could return to the Yankees by the end of August.
Thairo Estrada (SS, SF)- Head: Estrada was placed on the seven-day concussion list. He was hit in the head with a pitch last Saturday. He must go through the concussion protocols before being activated from the IL. Dixon Machado looks to get more time at shortstop with both Estrada and Brandon Crawford out.
Max Kepler (OF, MIN)- Toe: Kepler ended up being placed on the IL with a fractured pinky toe. Kepler tried to play through the injury but was unable to. Typically, it could take three to five weeks for this type of fracture to heal. Gilberto Celestino should see more playing time with Kepler out. The Twins do hope that Kepler could be activated this weekend.
Alex Kirilloff (1B, MIN)- Wrist: Kirilloff has again been put on the IL with left wrist issues. He was on the IL in 2019 and 2021 including surgery for the wrist. Jake Cave could see more playing time with Kirilloff out.
Miguel Sano (3B, MIN)- Knee: Sano was placed on the sixty-day IL with left knee inflammation. The Twins have said that they found something on the MRI and placed him on the 60-day IL instead of the traditional IL, meaning that Sano is done for the year.
Kris Bryant (OF, COL)- Foot: Bryant was placed on the IL with left plantar fasciitis. The severity is not yet known. This is the third time that Bryant has been on the IL this year. Plantar fasciitis is very tricky and could flare up very easily (see Harrison Bader who has been on the IL for an extended time and is still wearing a boot). This is also an issue that could zap his power for the rest of this year (see Albert Pujols a few years ago).
Injured Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Clayton Kershaw (SP, LAD)- Back: Kershaw left his last start early due to his back. He said “something locked up” during warmups before the fifth inning. The severity is not yet known and he is expected to go for further testing. Manager Dave Roberts said that a trip to the IL is “not out of the question.” Kershaw does have a history of back issues, so this is something to keep an eye on going forward. He was diagnosed with a disc herniation in 2016 and was on the IL in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020 for back issues.
Lance McCullers Jr. (SP, HOU)- Forearm: McCullers continues his recovery from a forearm injury. McCullers has made multiple rehab starts and could be activated from the IL as early as this week.
Michael Pineda (SP, DET)- Arm: Pineda was placed on the IL with a right triceps strain. Pineda had said that the triceps was bothering him for a while. He has begun a throwing program but has no timeline for his return.
Dustin May (SP, LAD)- Elbow: May is on the IL recovering from Tommy John surgery last year. He is scheduled to make two more rehab starts and then should be activated by the Dodgers.
Michael Lorenzen (SP, LAA)- Shoulder: Lorenzen is on the IL with a shoulder strain. He recently resumed throwing and could start a rehab assignment soon. There is no timetable for his return yet.
MacKenzie Gore (SP, WAS)- Elbow: Gore was placed on the IL with a sore left elbow. He will continue to treat his injury with rest and rehab. The Nationals have said that they will take it slowly with him as there is no rush for him to return.
Mike Soroka (SP, ATL)- Achilles: Soroka continues his rehab from multiple Achilles tendon surgeries. Soroka was facing hitters in July but was hit in the knee with a comebacker. He is expected to pitch in simulated games soon which would be followed by rehab starts. The earliest he could return is in September.
Jon Gray (SP, TEX)- Oblique: Gray was placed on the IL this week with a strained left oblique. He is expected to miss four to six weeks. With this knowledge, it may be safe to assume that Gray may not have time to be stretched back out to start for the Rangers again this year.
Trevor Rogers (SP, MIA)- Back- Rogers is on the IL with lower back spasms. Rogers was scheduled to throw a bullpen session this week. Nick Neidert started instead of Rogers the last time through the rotation.
Adrian Houser (SP, MIL)- Elbow: Houser is currently on the IL with a right flexor strain. He is scheduled to begin his rehab assignment this weekend. He could be about two weeks away from his return.
Tarik Skubal (SP, DET)- Arm: Skubal was placed on the IL with left arm fatigue. Inflammation was noted in Skubal’s forearm as he left the game, according to reports. No word on any test results yet. Skubal has thrown 117.2 innings this year and he threw 149.1 innings last year. No word on who will replace him in the Tigers’ rotation.
Adbert Alzolay (SP, CHC)- Lat: Alzolay has been on the IL with a lat strain since Spring Training. He was scheduled to throw live batting practice at the end of this week. He may soon be ready for an extended rehab assignment as he is yet to pitch this year.
Ross Stripling (SP, TOR)- Glute: Stripling was placed on the IL with a right glute/hip strain. The interim Blue Jays manager said that he views the injury as a short-term concern and could be ready to return when first eligible. Micah White could fill in until Stripling returns.
Michael Wacha (SP, BOS)- Shoulder: Wacha was placed on the IL with right shoulder inflammation. Wacha was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment this past week and could return within the next two weeks.
Luis Severino (SP, NYY)- Lat: Severino was placed on the IL with a low-grade right lat strain this week. He was shut down and placed on the sixty-day IL. Severino has already begun a throwing program and has stated that he no longer feels pain or discomfort. The earliest he could be activated is September 13.
Tyler Wells (SP, BAL)- Side: Wells was placed on the IL with left side discomfort. Wells was diagnosed with a grade 1 oblique strain. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said that Wells will need some time to recover. Kyle Bradish took his rotation spot.
Injured Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball
Brusdar Graterol (RP, LAD)- Shoulder: Graterol was placed on the IL this week with right shoulder inflammation. Graterol had a bullpen session with no issues. There is still no timetable for his return.
Reynaldo Lopez (RP, CWS)- Back: Lopez was placed on the IL with a lower back strain, retroactive to July 25. The White Sox hope he could return after the minimum IL stint on August 9.
Joe Barlow (RP, TEX)- Finger: Barlow is on the IL due to a blister on his pitching hand. He is currently on a rehab assignment at Triple-A and could return to close for the Rangers next week.
Ken Giles (RP, SEA)- Shoulder: Giles has been on the IL since July 9 with shoulder tightness. Giles has begun a rehab assignment and barring any setbacks, could return to the Mariners bullpen next week.
David Bednar (RP, PIT)- Back: Bednar was placed on the IL with low back inflammation. He has been dealing with this injury for about the last week. This injury concern may be one reason why he was not traded at the trade deadline. Wil Crowe looks to be the primary option for the Pirates to close until Bednar can return.
Tanner Rainey (RP, WAS)- Elbow: Rainey has been on the IL with an elbow injury. He was expected to miss the rest of the season and had Tommy John surgery performed earlier this week. This surgery may have him miss almost all of next year as well. Kyle Finnegan and Carl Edwards Jr. should close for the Nationals.
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