Injury Report 5/31: Every Player’s DL Situation

UPDATES

Ronald Acuna Jr. (OF, Atlanta Braves) – Acuna ended up with a mild sprain of his left ACL which is incredibly fortunate considering how bad that looked. The Braves are expecting him to return within two weeks, and he has reportedly completed running drills already. I’m thrilled and amazed.

Matt Davison (3B, Chicago White Sox) – Davidson was placed on the DL10. We don’t have reason to believe he’ll need anything more than a minimum stay.

DJ Lemahieu (2B, Colorado Rockies) – Lemahieu is coming back ahead of his timetable, and is currently expected to join the Rockies lineup on Friday.

Eric Skoglund (SP, Kansas City Royals) – Skoglund is reportedly dealing with a grade 1 UCL sprain and fluid buildup compressing the ulnar nerve as it passes through his left elbow. This is favourable, and he may return again this year.

Matt Shoemaker (SP, Los Angeles Angels) – Shoemaker underwent an operation that will reportedly end his 2019 campaign.

Blake Wood (RP, Los Angeles Angels) – Wood opted for Tommy John and will aim to bounce back in 2019.

Jimmy Nelson (SP, Milwaukee Brewers) – Nelson was advised to stop throwing for approximately 10 days, though there is no reported setback. I’ve pushed his ETA back a week to reflect this time off.

Dee Gordon (OF, Seattle Mariners) – Gordon is slated to return on Thursday. This feels very early, and the Mariners may benefit from taking a peek at how Buxton is doing.

Adam Eaton (OF, Washington Nationals) – Eaton is ahead of schedule. He is first eligible to return on June 8th, which is a real possibility if he remains on his current course.

ADDITIONS

Carl Edwards Jr. (RP, Chicago Cubs) – MRI revealed no structural damage. Edwards Jr. will be shut down from throwing for a few weeks, and we’ll have a better understanding of his expected return once he begins a throwing program.

David Dahl (OF, Colorado Rockies) – Dahl is DTD with a shin contusion. This doesn’t appear major.

Adam Ottavino (RP, Colorado Rockies) – This one hurts. Obliques are tough to predict due to the sheer volume of rest they require. We have a recent example of how quickly a player’s absence can be increased (Faria). Monitor for updates – results of an MRI indicating degree of strain would be fantastic.

Daniel Stumpf (RP, Detroit Tigers) – The Tigers get a second chance at handling an ulnar nerve impingement condition. I’m very curious to see how they adjust as I maintain that Fulmer could have been handled more effectively when he incurred this condition. With appropriate rest and management techniques Stumpf may be able to return in a few weeks.

Francisco Liriano (SP, Detroit Tigers) – Liriano is projected to miss two weeks with what is reportedly a mild hamstring strain.

Niko Goodrum (1B, Detroit Tigers) – Goodrum left Monday’s game due to dehydration, and no additional conditions have been reported. He should return soon.

Brian McCann (C, Houston Astros) – McCann hit the DL with right knee soreness. It has been reported that he received an “encouraging prognosis” but nothing concrete was shared. Expecting him to miss between 2 and 4 weeks feels like a safe bet until we gather more information.

Blaine Boyer (RP, Kansas City Royals) – This strain may be from burdening the weight of an 11.76 ERA. All jokes aside, KC is in no rush to have Boyer back so he may end up on the latter end of the 2-4 week timetable (or beyond).

Kenta Maeda (SP, Los Angeles Dodgers) – An MRI revealed a strain to one of the hip muscles – likely an adductor. Maeda should return within 4-6 weeks if all goes well.

Zack Cozart (3B, Los Angeles Angels) – A DL stint may be forthcoming, and I expect we’d have that information by mid-day Thursday.

Byron Buxton (RP, Minnesota Twins) – Buxton’s dismal 2018 continues as he is still dealing with discomfort in the fractured left big toe. Perhaps returning in 3 weeks when bone takes 4-6 weeks to completely heal wasn’t a great call. The severity of his difficulties are not yet clear (nonunion or malunion of the fracture? just continued discomfort?) but I’m going to set him back to the initial timetable for the time being.

Tyler Saladino (SS, Milwaukee Brewers) – I couldn’t find any imaging results to confirm a degree of the sprain, so I went for a middle of the road timetable. I may have overshot it, but I will adjust as we find out how he is progressing.

Steven Matz (SP, New York Mets) – Current reports have Matz avoiding the DL but having his next start pushed back. MRI revealed the sprain though X-rays came back negative, which lets us know we don’t have an avulsion fracture on our hands (those complicate things). Once Matz returns, keep in mind that the middle finger is what supplies necessary pressure to throw breaking balls – if there is any continued discomfort or joint laxity, his breaking pitches may suffer.

Noah Syndergaard (SP, New York Mets) – The Mets believe Syndergaard will be able to return when first eligible. I caution that this may be too soon, but I have to trust that they have more complete information than I do. Let’s hope they are not rushing things.

Rhys Hoskins (OF, Philadelphia Phillies) – Hoskins will likely miss about four weeks with a fractured jaw. I’ve been in this boat myself and it was not fun. Hopefully, he is able to maintain his weight through his recovery.

Pedro Florimon (SS, Philadelphia Phillies) – Florimon will likely miss between 4 and 6 weeks with a fractured right foot.

Chris Herrmann (C, Seattle Mariners) – Herrmann will be on the DL for longer than he was on the big league roster thus far this year. Rotten luck. I haven’t found a report indicating a degree of strain, so a general 4-6 week timetable is appropriate for the time being.

Jeff Samardzija (SP, San Francisco Giants) – The Giants are hopeful that Shark will only miss one start. We will have a better idea when he throws next (probably a bullpen within a week).

Dereck Rodriguez (RP, San Francisco Giants) – Rodriguez suffered a contusion and should be an option for the Giants before the weekend.

Marcell Ozuna (OF, St. Louis Cardinals) – Ozuna pinch-hit on Wednesday night and should return to normal play shortly.

Josh Donaldson (3B, Toronto Blue Jays) – Donaldson is expected to not require a DL stint, though he battled a similar difficulty with his right calf in the first half of 2017 that ended up with a 40-day absence on the DL. I’m cautious here, and I believe we’ll have a better idea regarding Donaldson’s situation by Monday.