Injury Report 5/14: Every Player’s DL Situation

Hello and welcome!

The following players have returned to regular play or have been optioned and have been removed from the report: David Price, Nick Delmonico, Andrew Miller, Nick Tropeano, Elieser Hernandez, Boone Logan, Byron Buxton, Jacob deGrom, Ben Lively, Dan Altavilla, Josh Osich, Brett Cecil, Bud Norris, Tommy Pham, Adeiny Hechavarria, Robinson Chirinos, and Rougned Odor.

Let’s check out the table:

UPDATES

Matt Shoemaker (SP, Los Angeles Angels) – Shoe has been shut down from throwing due to continued issues with his right forearm.

Keynan Middleton (RP, Los Angeles Angels) – I think the best practice when you have a young pitcher returning potentially early from elbow inflammation is to have him throw three times in four games. Middleton will get an MRI on Monday – hopefully, no major damage has occurred. We’ll have a better idea of his timetable at that point.

Hansel Robles (RP, New York Mets) – We got the new title of ’sprain’ to describe Robles right knee. I haven’t found a report indicating what structure he sprained, but I’m leaning towards a month off until we get a concrete timetable from the Mets.

Brandon Drury (2B/3B, New York Yankees) – Drury continues to experience migraine symptoms. His rehab assignment is set to end on Tuesday, and it’s unclear what the Yankees will do with him at that point.

Trevor Cahill (SP, Oakland Athletics) – Cahill didn’t feel 100% during a bullpen outing on Sunday. Nothing is set in stone, but he may skip an additional start.

Adam Wainwright (SP, St. Louis Cardinals) – Waino is reportedly heading back to the DL after a brief start in his return from a DL stint for elbow inflammation.

Adam Eaton (OF, Washington Nationals) – Eaton underwent surgery to remove a loose cartilage flap from his left ankle. The good news is that this procedure is a relatively simple arthroscopic tissue resection – there was minimal damage to surrounding tissues during the operation. The bad news is that Eaton is still a while away from baseball activities. He will spend approximately one-week non-weight-bearing on his left foot and spend roughly an additional week in a walking boot. I feel expecting him to return in late June or early July is reasonable at this stage.

 

ADDITIONS

Chris Tillman (RP, Baltimore Orioles) – Not much said about this one, but we likely can’t blame any back injury for his ineffectiveness. Since Tillman isn’t owned aside from 10-team Baltimore-only leagues, I’ll just leave you with a fun fact. As of the evening of 5-13-18, eleven qualified MLB starters have ERAs lower than Tillman’s WHIP.

Pedro Alvarez (DH, Baltimore Orioles) – Alvarez was lifted from Thursday’s game due to cramping /spasms in his right hamstring. The Orioles have stated that he is expected back in the lineup on Tuesday.

Bradley Zimmer (OF, Cleveland Indians) – Zimmer has been battling a chest contusion for about a week now – in fact, it’s looking like a DL stint would have been warranted. He is apparently sore when swinging, which will hopefully subside soon. There is no indication that a DL stint is forthcoming (at least for now) so we’re just truly living that DTD tag.

Tyler Naquin (OF, Cleveland Indians) – Naquin suffered a hamstring strain, and was placed on the DL10. The Indians don’t seem too concerned, and he may come off the DL within a few days of being eligible.

Jeimer Candelario (3B, Detroit Tigers) – Don’t let the estimated return fool you – this one is sounding the alarm for me. Candelario is dealing with a sprain in a structure called the TFCC, which is located at the junction between your hand and wrist on the little finger side. This structure is a complex arrangement of ligaments and cartilage that act to stabilize the ulnar side of the wrist. In determining if someone has an injury to their TFCC, clinicians use something called the Gripping Rotary Impaction Test. Long story short, this method measures grip strength in both prone and supine wrist positions – a positive test is when grip strength is significantly reduced in the prone position. Why am I telling you this? Candelario, when hitting from the right side, holds his bat with a prone left wrist. Additionally, TFCC injuries result in increased pain during ulnar deviation (you do that when swinging, too). Candelario has dealt with this issue on and off throughout his career, and it’s not just going to go away without surgical intervention. The Tigers don’t seem to want to go that route for now, but I think it’s something he undergoes in the near future. Until then, he is going to have periods where it is downright painful and less-effective to swing from the right side.

George Springer (OF, Houston Astros) – Springer is expected to be in the Astros lineup on Monday.

Rich Hill (SP, Los Angeles Dodgers) – Hill has a blister on the inside portion of his left long finger – the exact area a curveball comes off of. Hill is currently hoping to make his next start, but we’ve seen blisters keep him out for extended periods in the past. Monitor this one as a DL stint isn’t out of the question.

Brian Anderson (3B, Miami Marlins) – It’s unclear when Anderson injured his finger, but X-rays indicated no fracture. He should return to the lineup by the middle of this week.

Miguel Rojas (SS, Miami Marlins) – I haven’t seen a video of this, though we do know X-rays came back negative. I always caution that X-rays can’t always detect wrist fractures, so keep an eye on things for a few days. If it is just a contusion than Rojas should return to regular play sometime this week.

Chase Anderson (SP, Milwaukee Brewers) – Anderson should return when first able.

Jameson Taillon (SP, Pittsburgh Pirates) – Taillon is dealing with a cut on his right long finger. He is currently expected to make his next start, though we likely won’t know for sure until closer to that date.

Phil Maton (RP, San Diego Padres) – My gut feeling is that this isn’t too serious of a lat strain and that Maton should return in early-June. We will understand his situation better as additional updates are released.

Robinson Cano (2B, Seattle Mariners) – We have a bit of information to go on for this one. First, X-rays revealed the fracture, so it’s at least immediately visible on that image – it’s not just a tiny crack in the bone. Second, the expectation is that Cano will require surgery. This indicates that the fracture is either displaced or intra-articular. Either way, that extends our timetable to about the 2-month point. We’ll know definitively once we hear what kind of operation he will undergo.

Tyler Lyons (RP, St. Louis Cardinals) – Lyons has been dealing with a strain in one of the muscles of his mid-back. Many of the muscles in this region contribute to deceleration of the arm during throwing – they likely don’t explain his ineffectiveness, though they’re still important to rest. I’ve slotted him for the first available return date until we are updated further.

Carlos Martinez (SP, St. Louis Cardinals) – It has been reported that CarMart is dealing with a minor lat issue and that this DL stint is mainly precautionary. Anytime there is an injury to one of the decelerating muscles, there is a lot more strain put on the others. A good example is Thor battling a biceps injury last year, which he pitched through, which lead to a much more serious lat strain. I’d much rather CarMart miss a start or two in May than miss all of June and July.

Adrian Beltre (3B, Texas Rangers) – Beltre re-aggravated the left hamstring that sat him on the DL in April. I’ve listed him as DTD for now with an estimated return for the middle of next week, but this could definitely end up in another DL stint.

Marcus Stroman (SP, Toronto Blue Jays) – It’s almost like Stroman should have taken more time off when battling shoulder issues this spring. Hopefully, the Jays let Stroman simmer on the DL for a bit, rest his shoulder, and make necessary adjustments for him to return to previous levels of success.

Ryan Zimmerman (1B, Washington Nationals) – Zimmerman has been battling a few injuries thus far this year and may benefit from a bit of an extended DL stint. The Nats have capable replacements in Adams and Reynolds, and Zimm hasn’t quite returned to his 2017 form. I’d expect the Nats to take this one slow.

Matt Wieters (C, Washington Nationals) – No grade of strain has been reported, so I’ve estimated on a timetable and return date under the assumption that this is a relatively minor strain.