Injury Report 5/17: Every Player’s DL Situation

UPDATES

Bradley Zimmer (OF, Cleveland Indians) – Zimmer was finally placed on the DL10. His condition hasn’t been changed from a contusion, so I imagine we’ll have a minimum DL stint.

Miguel Cabrera (3B, Detroit Tigers) – Miggy is experiencing some hip and back discomfort during his rehab and figures to miss some additional time.

Jeimer Candelario (3B, Detroit Tigers) – There’s the DL stint. I’m curious about the Tigers next step. I presume they try to manage this injury conservatively at first, but I still think an operation is inevitable (they may just hope to complete it in the offseason).

Keynan Middleton (RP, Los Angeles Angels) – Rather than being patient with their young relief ace, the Angels now face the possibility of TJ for Middleton, who is seeking a second opinion. The fact that opinions are at play means it’s less than a Grade 3 sprain, but I anticipate TJ will be the answer as the Angels recently tried conservative treatment with JC Ramirez with poor results.

Clayton Kershaw (SP, Los Angeles Dodgers) – Kershaw is progressing slowly, but at least he is progressing. An early-to-mid June return looks more realistic at this point than expecting him back in May.

Chase Anderson (SP, Milwaukee Brewers) – I’ve seen a report indicating that Anderson is expected to start on Monday (5-21-18), though he’s not eligible to come off the DL until 5-23-18 as per the official DL move listed on the MLB transactions page. I figure Anderson will return soon, but be mindful of this discrepancy.

Stephen Vogt (C, Milwaukee Brewers) – Vogt is set to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery this week. Hopefully, he returns strong in 2019.

Wil Myers (OF, San Diego Padres) – The Padres have stated they don’t expect Myers back until June. This is starting to sound like more than a Grade 1 strain.

Carlos Martinez (SP, St. Louis Cardinals) – Martinez is undergoing a follow-up MRI, which will let us know whether he’ll be cleared in the near future. Look for that update. It sounds like he has progressed a bit slower than initially anticipated, though there is no need to sound the alarm just yet.

ADDITIONS

A.J. Pollock (OF, Arizona Diamondbacks) – Pollock avulsed a structure from his thumb, and the DBacks currently expect him to miss 4-8 weeks. He has a shot to be on the shorter side of that timetable if all goes well.

Carson Smith (RP, Boston Red Sox) – Smith subluxed his pitching shoulder throwing his glove in frustration after a poor outing. He has undergone an MRI, though results haven’t been released publicly. The Red Sox are anticipating an extended DL stint, so it seems there is some serious structural damage to Smith’s right shoulder. Remember kids, if you’re going to be a goofball and lash out physically after a rough outing, do so with your non-dominant arm.

Hector Velasquez (SP, Boston Red Sox) – Velasquez hurt his lower back trying to dodge Smith’s glove throw. Okay, that’s not true. I don’t have a definitive event to pin this to, but it doesn’t appear to be too serious at this point.

Eugenio Suarez (3B, Cincinnati Reds) – Suarez hurt his ankle during a slide on Tuesday, but remained in the game. This doesn’t sound very serious, but he got the day off on Wednesday. I’d expect him to return before the weekend.

Edwin Encarnacion (DH, Cleveland Indians) – E5 has missed a couple of games due to tightness in his upper back and neck. There’s no indication that this is a serious issue, and he should be set to go prior to this weekend’s series.

DJ Lemahieu (2B, Colorado Rockies) – I set Lemahieu at 4 weeks for now, as that is an optimistic timetable to heal a mild thumb UCL sprain. However, I expect him to opt for surgery on his thumb, which would move our timetable to 6-8 weeks.

JaCoby Jones (OF, Detroit Tigers) – Jones suffered a bruise to his hip, and this doesn’t seem too serious. Expect to see him in the lineup within a day or two.

Lucas Duda (1B, Kansas City Royals) – I haven’t seen the severity of this described, but plantar fasciitis is a nasty beast that can stay with you for years. It’s unclear if surgery is on the table for Duda, but that operation can have you out of action for up to three months.

Hernan Perez (2B, Milwaukee Brewers) – Perez is DTD with a non-descript wrist injury. Expect him to return to the lineup prior to the weekend unless we hear otherwise.

Ryan Braun (OF, Milwaukee Brewers) – Braun has stated that he’s likely heading to the DL. He’s been on it so much, I trust his opinion. I don’t imagine this being much more than a two-week absence, and Braun is prone to going through these every now and then.

Juan Lagares (OF, New York Mets) – Lagares underwent X-rays on his toe, which came back negative, so we can rule out a fracture. I anticipate he’ll get an MRI if it continues to hurt him, but I haven’t seen the Mets indicate that one has been ordered.

Yoenis Cespedes (OF, New York Mets) – Cespedes has the potential to return when first eligible, but we’ll get a better sense of his estimated return as he progresses.

Starling Marte (OF, Pittsburgh Pirates) – Marte is battling some oblique tightness. He’ll hope to get it under control over the next few days but may wind up on the DL. We’ll get an update prior to the weekend.

Francisco Cervelli (C, Pittsburgh Pirates) – Cervelli is dealing with a forearm contusion, and should return to the lineup within a day or two.

Joey Lucchesi (SP, San Diego Padres) – I originally saw this reported as glute tightness, which makes me think the Padres are just playing this extremely safe. Lucchesi may return when first eligible.

Nelson Cruz (DH, Seattle Mariners) – Cruz fouled a ball off his right foot, though X-rays came back negative. I listed his estimated return for next Monday, though he may get into games this weekend if he’s feeling up to it.

Alen Hanson (2B, San Francisco Giants) – No grade of strain has been reported, though this appears mild due to the retroactive DL move, and Hanson may be able to return when first eligible.

Luke Gregerson (RP, St. Louis Cardinals) – This one is difficult to predict as Gregerson is reportedly dealing with an elbow issue as well, and has not been effective for the Cards thus far. They may take things very slow with him.

Carlos Gomez (OF, Tampa Bay Rays) – Gomez hit the DL after injuring his groin on Tuesday. Limited details are available at this time – I’m expecting an update before Monday.

Matt Duffy (3B, Tampa Bay Rays) – Duffy reports that he expects to return to the Rays lineup on Friday.