Injury Report 03/29: Baseball is back!

Matt Olson — Right Hamate Resection

 

Matt Olson suffered a right hook of hamate fracture during the Japan series and has since undergone a hamate resection procedure. Olson is likely to miss 4-6 weeks (most likely the longer end of that timetable), and power may be hard to come by once he initially returns. This injury shouldn’t have a long-term impact on Olson’s success.

Estimated return: Early-to-mid May.

 

Lonnie Chisenhall – Right Hand Fracture

 

Lonnie Chisenhall fractured his right hand after being struck by a pitch on 03/25. The provided timetable of 4-6 weeks accurately outlines the required time for bone healing. I would expect an extra week or two to return to play.

Estimated return: Mid-to-late May.

 

Francisco Lindor —Left Ankle Sprain

 

Fracisco Lindor sprained his left ankle while running the bases in a minor league game on 03/26 during his recovery from a right calf strain. He is beginning the season on the IL, but should not be there for much more than the minimum. The ankle sprain is reportedly mild, and the calf strain appears to have been in the final stages of healing before full return to play.

Estimated return: Early-to-mid April.

 

Rich Hill — Left Knee Sprain

 

Rich Hill is beginning the 2019 season on the IL due to a mild left knee sprain. Hill has thrown a flat-ground and will attempt long toss on Friday. Since this is Hill’s back leg, it does not have to deal with the impact force of landing during his pitching motion. If all goes according to plan, Hill could return just after the minimum IL stint.

Estimated return: Mid-April.

 

Shohei Ohtani — Right Tommy John Surgery

 

Shohei Ohtani is throwing up to 50ft and has begun taking batting practice on the field. Ohtani is on pace to return to DH duties as early as the beginning of May. Ohtani’s two-handed finish doesn’t appear to cause much force on the medial right elbow so I don’t foresee much risk with Ohtani hitting. He may be limited in baserunning (limited stealing, advised to avoid close plays) as an awkward slide could re-injure his right UCL.

Estimated return: Early-May for hitting, 2020 for pitching.