Carlos Gomez, Travis D’Arnaud, and Jose Reyes highlight this week’s injury roundup. It is not always bad news here either, Garrett Richards returned this week and looked well despite lacking command. He was averaging 95 MPH on his fastball and cutter. This is good news for fantasy owners, his control should be back within a start or two. Denard Span and Homer Bailey are other major player that made a return from injury this week.
Astros
Injured: Brad Peacock, Brett Oberholtzer
Brad Peacock made a brief return to baseball before heading back to the DL with a left intercostal muscle strain. He will rest before starting any rehab. Brett Oberholtzer is throwing bullpen sessions, and will likely make a rehab start before coming to the rotation.
Athletics
Injured: Coco Crisp, Sean Doolittle, Jesse Hahn, Ben Zobrist
Coco Crisp is a month or two away from playing, he has not begun any baseball activity. Sean Doolittle is improving steadily, he is still going to be out for most of May. He will throw off flat ground, and strictly fastballs this week. Tyler Clippard still holds fantasy value for now. Jesse Hahn left his last start with a blister, it is possible that he misses one start before returning. Ben Zobrist is day to day with knee soreness. Nothing substantial there, could miss a game or two.
Blue Jays
Injured: Jose Reyes, Devon Travis
Things are a little unclear about Jose Reyes, tomorrow is when Toronto will decide if he will take a DL trip or not. Reyes has a cracked rib alongside a strained rib muscle. He is listed as day to day, but a DL trip is possible. Devon Travis left after being hit my a pitch in the ribs this weekend, he is truly day to day, and not expected to miss much time.
Braves
Injured: Mike Minor
Mike Minor’s season still has a lot of uncertainty to it right now, he had a setback and is now resting the arm. The Braves did not think surgery was required a week ago, and that is still the case, but Minor having constant issues will likely send him to have another examination.
Brewers
Injured: Carlos Gomez
The Brewers offense has been abysmal so far this season, and with Carlos Gomez hitting the DL, they don’t stand much chance on improving. He is dealing with a hamstring strain, and there is a slight tear. The Brewers will be in no rush to get him ready and risk further injury. Gerardo Parra will see more time in the outfield, and Jean Segura has jumped to the top of the lineup.
Cardinals
Injured: Jaime Garcia, Matt Holliday
Jaime Garcia is still throwing batting practice, not much has changed over a week. Matt Holliday is on the injury report, but just day to day back tightness. There is nothing to worry about there.
Cubs
Injured: Mike Olt, Tommy La Stella
Tommy La Stella has some inflammation around the ribs, he is resting from baseball activities at the moment. Mike Olt has the more serious injury of the two, with a fractured wrist. This made way for Kris Bryant, so it looks like even when healthy they will be bench players.
Dodgers
Injured: Kenley Jensen, Yasiel Puig, Hyun-Jin Ryu
There was big progress this week for Kenley Jensen, he threw off the bullpen mound for the first time. He still will need to throw sessions, and a rehab assignment, so the timetable is still late May. Yasiel Puig is day to day with a hamstring issue, the Dodgers have been quiet, but it is possible he takes a DL trip to fully recover. Hyun-Jin Ryu is still without a timetable, and there is good news with him throwing pain and soreness free. He has yet to throw a bullpen session, this leads me to believe he is still a month away at the least.
Giants
Injured: Matt Cain, Hunter Pence, Jake Peavy
There is no improvement from last week with Matt Cain, he is still not able to throw, which leads to no timetable for a return. Jake Peavy hit the 15 day DL with a back strain. Chris Heston was filling in already, so it is possible Yusmiro Petit enters the rotation. He is serving in long relief right now, and does have starter experience. He is worth a look for spot starts. Hunter Pence is getting closer to return, he took some swings and has been doing light activities.
Indians
Injured: Carlos Carrasco, Yan Gomes
Cleveland and fantasy owners dodged a bullet, Carlos Carrasco took a ball to the face, but only left with a jaw contusion. He had no concussion symptoms and was in the bullpen. He is scheduled to start tomorrow. In case you missed it, Yan Gomes is out 6-8 weeks with an MCL sprain.
Marlins
Injured: Henderson Alvarez
Henderson Alvarez is dealing with inflammation in both his shoulder and his elbow. This is something to keep an eye on, the injury is not considered serious, but Miami has been still on releasing much information as well.
Mets
Injured: Travis D’Arnaud, David Wright
New York took a few blows over the last few days, the biggest is losing Travis D’Arnaud with a fractured right hand after being hit by a pitch. He will be out indefinitely. David Wright is going to miss at least three weeks according to the Mets front office. He has a hamstring injury, and the Mets have not put an official return date up in the air.
Nationals
Injured: Yunel Escobar, Anthony Rendon
Yunel Escobar is nothing more than day to day here with some inflammation in his left groin. He should be back in the lineup Tuesday. Anthony Rendon is without a timetable still, but has no reported setbacks and has ramped up more and more baseball activities. He should return sometime in May.
Orioles
Injured: Jonathan Schoop, J.J. Hardy, Matt Wieters
Jonathan Schoop took a hard slide at second base, which caused a grade 1 PCL tear, which is good news. It could have been an ACL tear which would have him out for the season. He will not need surgery, but will need some time to heal. J.J. Hardy is close to return, he will start rehab games next week. Matt Wieters continues to catch simulated innings, and is upping his workload. The interesting news is that he will backup Caleb Joesph when he returns, Buck Showalter has already released that news.
Padres
Injured: Ian Kennedy, Justin Upton
Ian Kennedy is throwing bullpen sessions, and San Diego wants him to make a rehab start before entering the rotation. He should be back by the end of the month. Justin Upton is day to day with strained quadriceps, he should miss a few games, but no DL trip is expected
Rangers
Injured: Derek Holland
In case you missed it, Derek Holland is being shut down for four weeks, and will be re-evaluated after that. He is dealing with a shoulder strain.
Rays
Injured: Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly, John Jaso, James Loney
The Rays have an active injury report, Alex Cobb has not yet been cleared for a bullpen session, which is a little odd. He has little soreness and has been continuously been playing catch. Drew Smyly will either be joining the rotation, or making one more rehab start, he is being re-evaluated after throwing four innings this weekend in Triple A. John Jaso is going to miss more time than expected, he still can’t pick up a bat. The wrist swelling has been stingy, and will likely need another week or two. James Loney is due to return late this week.
Reds
Injured: Billy Hamilton, Devin Mesoraco
These are names you don’t want to see on an injury report, but don’t worry neither are serious. Billy Hamilton should be in tomorrow’s lineup, he was dealing with a tight hamstring. Devin Mesoraco is day to day with a sore hip, he missed last week and should be able to catch late in the week.
Royals
Injured: Alcides Escobar, Greg Holland, Alex Rios
Alcides Escobar dodged a major injury with another second base sliding incident. He has a sprained left knee, and he is considered day to day. Closer Greg Holland is heading to the DL with a pectoral strain. The injury is not considered serious, but rest is what Holland will do. Wade Davis will fill in for closer, he is a must pick up if you are chasing saves. This happened last week, but Alex Rios is out with a broken left land, and will likely miss 5-6 weeks.
Tigers
Injured: Joe Nathan, Justin Verlander
Joe Nathan is close to a return, he may take a rehab assignment before resuming closer duties. He should be close to return in 7-10 days. Justin Verlander’s situation is getting frustrating, he is on hold from throwing until he is soreness free. His stamina levels are not where the Tigers want them to be right now. A return date is cloudy right now, there is no schedule for an MRI, but if no progress is made, he could be in for one.
