Welcome to the Injury Report! Every week we will be taking a look at the newest injuries across the MLB. Fortunately for fantasy managers, we did not have many injuries this week.
Clayton Kershaw: Back Stiffness
Clayton Kershaw was added to the IL due to back stiffness earlier this week. Given the amount of time he has missed over the past couple of years from his back issues, this isn’t a surprise. Kershaw has already started throwing off flat ground, so he should be good to go right when his IL stint is up.
Return Date: Early August
Stephen Strasburg: Nerve Issue
Stephen Strasburg was scratched from his start on Saturday due to a nerve issue in his throwing hand. Strasburg and the Nationals don’t seem too concerned, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this lingers around. If I had to guess, Strasburg will likely miss his next start or two.
Return Date: Early August
Justin Verlander: Flexor Strain
Justin Verlander was rumored on Sunday to miss the rest of the season. Verlander and Dusty Baker debunked those claims, saying that Verlander will be re-evaluated in two weeks. We are already talking about losing a two-week minimum, and I would expect that to be closer to a three-week absence at minimum. This injury worries me, and I would be very cautious about Verlander moving forward.
Return Date: Mid-August (Aggressive) – Mid-September (Conservative)
Corey Kluber: Teres Major Tear
Corey Kluber’s Ranger debut did not go as planned. After one inning, he was pulled with shoulder discomfort. We now know that Kluber suffered from a grade 2 teres major tear. The Rangers are saying 4+ weeks until he returns, and I would expect that to be closer to six weeks. Teres major injuries are pretty rare, so once Kluber returns, I wouldn’t be worried about a re-injury.
Return Date: Early September
Marcus Stroman: Achilles/Calf Tear
Marcus Stroman was placed on the IL before Opening Day with a torn calf. Even though it wasn’t a full tear, Stroman will be out for a significant amount of time. I would peg his return to be September at the earliest.
Return Date: Early September
Masahiro Tanaka: Concussion
Masahiro Tanaka suffered a concussion before Opening Day and is still recovering. I would expect him to return before the end of the week. But keep in mind that concussions can linger, and it might take longer than anticipated for Tanaka to return. Tanaka has reported that he is feeling better, so I would expect him to return soon.
Return Date: Early August
| Player | Team | Date Reported |
|---|---|---|
| Charlie Blackmon | COL | 6/23 |
| Philip Diehl | COL | 6/23 |
| Ryan Castellani | COL | 6/23 |
| Hunter Bishop | SF | 6/29 |
| Delino DeShields | CLE | 7/3 |
| Brett Martin | TEX | 7/3 |
| Miguel Sanó | MIN | 7/3 |
| Willians Astudillo | MIN | 7/3 |
| Nick Gordon | MIN | 7/3 |
| Edwar Colina | MIN | 7/3 |
| Tommy Pham | SD | 7/3 |
| Luis Madero | SF | 7/3 |
| Salvador Pérez | KC | 7/4 |
| Josh Taylor | BOS | 7/4 |
| Darwinzon Hernández | BOS | 7/4 |
| Ricardo Sánchez | STL | 7/4 |
| Génesis Cabrera | STL | 7/4 |
| Freddie Freeman | ATL | 7/4 |
| Will Smith | ATL | 7/4 |
| Pete Kozma | ATL | 7/4 |
| Touki Toussaint | ATL | 7/4 |
| DJ LeMahieu | NYY | 7/4 |
| Luis Cessa | NYY | 7/4 |
| Elehuris Montero | STL | 7/5 |
| Blake Cederlind | PIT | 7/5 |
| Socrates Brito | PIT | 7/5 |
| Junior Guerra | ARZ | 7/5 |
| Silvino Bracho | ARZ | 7/5 |
| Angel Perdomo | MIL | 7/6 |
| Luis Urías | MIL | 7/6 |
| Joey Gallo | TEX | 7/6 |
| Kole Calhoun | ARZ | 7/6 |
| Scott Kingery | PHI | 7/7 |
| Tommy Hunter | PHI | 7/7 |
| Mikie Mahtook | PHI | 7/7 |
| Eduardo Rodríguez | BOS | 7/7 |
| Bobby Dalbec | BOS | 7/7 |
| Jesús Luzardo | OAK | 7/7 |
| Ryan O’Hearn | KC | 7/7 |
| Brad Keller | KC | 7/7 |
| Seth Beer | ARZ | 7/7 |
| Jorge Mateo | SD | 7/8 |
| Daniel Norris | DET | 7/9 |
| Cam Gallagher | KC | 7/11 |
| Aroldis Chapman | NYY | 7/11 |
| Kenley Jansen | LAD | 7/12 |
| Wilfredo Tovar | MIN | 7/12 |
| Patrick Sandoval | LAA | 7/13 |
| Tyler Glasnow | TB | 7/14 |
| Anthony Santander | BAL | 7/15 |
| Derek Dietrich | CIN | 7/15 |
| Matt Thaiss | LAA | 7/16 |
| Yoán Moncada | CWS | 7/16 |
| Austin Meadows | TB | 7/16 |
| Fernando Abad | WSH | 7/17 |
| Gregory Polanco | PIT | 7/17 |
| Yasiel Puig | FA | 7/17 |
| Nick Dini | KC | 7/17 |
| Daniel Tillo | KC | 7/17 |
| A.J. Pollock | LAD | 7/17 |
| José Martínez | TB | 7/18 |
| Isaac Paredes | DET | 7/18 |
| Dwight Smith Jr. | BAL | 7/18 |
| Alex Reyes | STL | 7/18 |
| Yonnny Chirinos | TB | 7/19 |
| Julio Teherán | LAA | 7/19 |
| Ke’Bryan Hayes | PIT | 7/19 |
| Yoshihisa Hirano | SEA | 7/19 |
| Wil Crowe | WSH | 7/19 |
| Jakob Junis | KC | 7/20 |
| Dylan Moore | SEA | 7/20 |
| Jazz Chisholm | MIA | 7/21 |
| Hunter Dozier | KC | 7/22 |
| Randy Arozarena | TB | 7/23 |
| Juan Soto | WSH | 7/23 |
| Brad Brach | NYM | 7/25 |
| Matt Davidson | CIN | 7/25 |
| Jorge Alfaro | MIA | 7/26 |
| Garrett Cooper | MIA | 7/26 |
| Harold Ramírez | MIA | 7/26 |
| José Ureña | MIA | 7/26 |
| Total Known Positives: 80 | ||
| In-Season Positives: 6 |
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.
Special thanks to Jon Becker (@jonbecker_ on Twitter) for his COVID-19 player list.
Featured image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)
Jake,
Thanks for doing this. Since your COVID-19 list is all inclusive, it would be helpful if you included a column showing their return date for those that have returned to playing (many of which have). Or, just list those players that are currently out because of it.
Thanks
Hey Dave! Thanks for reading. I completely agree with you about including if a player is out or has returned. I’m planning on having that information included in the coming injury reports. Thanks for the suggestion!