Injury Report: Aug. 24

Welcome to the weekly Injury Report! This week we have a couple of season-ending injuries to talk about, plus a prospect making his debut on the Injury Report.

 

Yordan Alvarez – Patella Tendon Surgery

 

Yordan Alvarez had his 2020 season come to an end after undergoing surgery for his patella tendon. Alvarez has been dealing with this issue all season. Hopefully, this surgery will put an end to the knee issues that have plagued Alvarez, and I would think that for 2021 he will be good to go.

Return Date: Spring Training 2021

 

Stephen Strasburg – Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

 

Update: We have been following the Stephen Strasburg injury news cycle since the start of the season. I’m going to toot my own horn for a second here, I have been concerned about Strasburg since the July 27 injury report. Things weren’t looking promising for Strasburg to return this season, and it turns out that he will be out until the 2021 season. Typically, recovery from carpal tunnel surgery goes well. But we are dealing with an intense surgery to a very valuable nerve in the hand. This could be a career-altering surgery so we will have to keep an eye on it during the 2021 spring training.

Return Date: Spring Training 2021

 

Nate Pearson – Elbow Tightness

 

Another week, another pitcher landing on the IL, and this week we welcome Nate Pearson to the injury report. Pearson left his last start with elbow tightness, and the Jays are not taking any risk with their top pitching prospect. With how this season has gone, anytime a pitcher has elbow/forearm issues I’m worried. But, the Jays seem to think that this will be a 10-day stay and will have Pearson back on the mound in short order. We will see if this will cause Pearson to lean on his fastball a bit more for the rest of the season, which could limit his fantasy value. For his elbow, I would keep an eye on it moving forward. I hope the Blue Jays give him 2 weeks off to recover and then begin to ease back on the number of pitches he throws per outing.

Return Date: 2 weeks

 

Alex Bregman – Hamstring Strain

 

Alex Bregman has hit the IL with a hamstring strain, and this is going to be one to watch as we make our way through the rest of the season. Hamstrings are tricky injuries, and I’m going to guess that Bregman will be on the shelf for 3-4 weeks at a minimum.

Return Date: 3-4 weeks

 

Mitch Garver – Intercostal Strain

 

Mitch Garver is dealing with a low-grade intercostal strain, and he will be out for a couple of weeks. Once he returns, assuming there isn’t a setback, he should be good to go. I’m not overly concerned about this for Garver.

Return Date: 3-4 weeks

 

Byron Buxton – Shoulder Inflammation

 

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Byron Buxton is on the IL. Same song different verse, Buxton has landed on the IL with shoulder inflammation. While this particular injury doesn’t give me too much concern, the history that Buxton has always led me to be cautious anytime he is injured. Whenever Buxton returns this injury shouldn’t impact his performance.

Return Date: 2-3 weeks

 

Gleyber Torres – Quad and Hamstring Strain

 

Gleyber Torres and James Paxton are the latest Yankees to hit the MLB’s most expensive IL list team. Torres is dealing with the dynamic duo of a quad and hamstring strain. The quad should be good to go in a week or two, and the hamstring will probably take closer to 3-4 weeks. Word coming out of New York sounds like this isn’t that serious of an injury; it’ll just take a little bit of time before Torres is ready to hit the field again. But once he does return, this injury shouldn’t impact his performance moving forward.

Return Date: 3-4 weeks

 

James Paxton – Forearm Strain

 

Paxton appears to have dodged a major bullet with his diagnosis. I was worried that he was going to be the latest Tommy John victim, but fortunately, he is only dealing with a forearm strain. Being a Grade 1 strain, this shouldn’t keep Paxton out for too long. Once he returns he should be put back into lineups without hesitation. I would bet that the Yankees ease him back into the rotation and give him a “mini-camp” to build up his stamina before putting him back on a big-league mound. With that, I think it’ll take him a little longer to return than we would normally expect with a Grade 1 flexor strain.

Return Date: 2-4 weeks

 

Salvador Perez – Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

 

Salvador Perez is dealing with central serous chorioretinopathy, a fancy way of saying he has fluid in his eye. This issue should resolve on its own, and I would expect it to take about a week or so. Once Perez returns, he should have his vision issues behind him.

Return Date: 1-2 weeks

 

Kris Bryant – Finger Strain

 

Kris Bryant is dealing with a finger strain that has bothered him for the past couple of days. I’m surprised this put him on the IL in the first place, as this isn’t the type of injury that should require more than a couple days of rest. The Cubs seem to think he will only require the minimum and be activated on July 30. Given Bryant’s injury history and inability to heal, I would put him closer to the 2-week mark before he returns. Once he does come back, this shouldn’t be an issue for him.

Return Date: 2 weeks

 

Nick Anderson – Forearm Inflammation

 

Nick Anderson will be out of the Rays pen for the time being while he deals with forearm inflammation. The good news is that Anderson is only dealing with inflammation and not a strain. Anderson shouldn’t be out for more than the minimum.

Return Date: Aug. 30

 

As always, if there is someone else you have a question about, leave me a comment or send me a tweet! I will get to them as I’m able to. Be sure to check back next week for the latest Injury Report!

Special thanks to Jon Becker (@jonbecker_ on Twitter) for his COVID-19 player list. 

Featured image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)