Injury Report: Aug. 3

Welcome to the Injury Report! Every week we will be taking a look at the newest injuries across the MLB. During this past week, we have had a slew of injuries pop up. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest names to hit the IL.

 

Joey Votto: COVID-19 Symptoms 

 

Joey Votto has been placed on the IL with COVID-19 symptoms on Sunday, Aug. 2. The latest reports are saying that Votto did not test positive on his first test, so the Reds will probably wait for another negative test before moving forward. With the rules for the COVID-related IL, there is not a minimum number of days a player has to spend on the IL. Meaning that, if Votto has another negative test within the next 24-48 hours, we could expect him back on the field by Tuesday-Thursday. If the next test is positive, then we will have another issue on our hands.

Return Date: Tuesday-Thursday (Depending on a negative test).

 

Danny Santana: Forearm Strain 

 

The Texas Rangers put Danny Santana on the IL Sunday with a forearm strain. There hasn’t been a timeline given for Santana, but if I had to put a time frame on this, I would think he will be on the shelf for the next 2-3 weeks. Once he returns, I would not be worried about this injury affecting his performance moving forward.

Return Date: End of August

 

Jose Leclerc: Teres Major Strain 

 

Jose Leclerc was placed on the 45-day Injured List after suffering a Grade 2 teres major strain. Sound familiar? Corey Kluber also suffered from the same injury last week. We may need to encase the rest of the Rangers pitchers in bubble wrap for their safety. For Leclerc, we are looking at the middle of September before he can return at the earliest. I wouldn’t hang on to Leclerc, and I would avoid him until next season. There is a chance he doesn’t return this season, and even if he does, I wouldn’t rely on him to be at his peak level of performance.

Return Date: Mid-Late September

 

Roberto Osuna: Elbow Soreness  

 

Roberto Osuna was placed on the IL Sunday with elbow soreness. The Astros are waiting on the results from the MRI, and once that information is released, we will have a better idea of Osuna’s rest-of-season prognosis. Elbow soreness is a huge red flag for me, and I would start to look around for a more permanent solution for the rest of the 2020 season. The best-case scenario Osuna is looking at 2-3 weeks, and the worst-case scenario is a season-ending injury. Hopefully, we find out more information in the coming days. While we wait for the MRI results, I am not very optimistic about Osuna’s rest-of-season outlook, but we will have an Osuna update after the MRI results are known.

Return Date: End of August (optimistic)

 

***Tuesday, August 4th Update***

 

Osuna has been told he needs Tommy John. He is currently seeking a second opinion, but the outlook doesn’t look good for Osuna for 2020 and 2021.

 

Mitch Keller: Left Oblique 

 

Mitch Keller was removed from his start on Saturday with left side discomfort. He will be eligible to return on Aug. 12, but I would bet that he does not return that soon. I would think that Keller would return around Aug. 23, missing the next three weeks. There isn’t much information coming out of the Pirates’ camp, we should have a better idea of Keller’s rest of season outlook in the next few days.

Return Date: End of August

 

Tim Anderson: Groin Strain 

 

Tim Anderson suffered a groin strain on Friday. I wouldn’t be too worried about this injury, Anderson should return within the next 10-14 days without an issue. Once he returns, he should be able to perform without this injury hindering his performance.

Return Date: Mid August

 

Alex Wood: Shoulder Inflammation

 

Alex Wood was placed on the IL earlier this past week with shoulder inflammation. The Dodgers are saying that Wood has been dealing with this for a couple of weeks. Wood and the Dodgers do not seem concerned, and I would imagine that he will be back in the next two weeks. Since this is something that has bothered Wood for a while now, I would be worried that the inflammation could return before the end of the season. Something to keep in mind once he comes off the IL.

Return Date: Aug. 17-20

 

Forrest Whitley: Sore Arm 

 

The Astros placed Forrest Whitley on the IL Sunday with a sore arm. Shoulder issues have plagued Whitley throughout his professional career, and they have once again popped up. Dusty Baker reported that Whitley has been dealing with arm discomfort during Summer Camp and again at the alternate training site. While he isn’t on the Astros’ major league roster, he has been a hot target as a breakout candidate. At this point, I would expect this injury to continue to linger, and I would make plans to stash another player.

Return Date: Mid/End of August (Begin Throwing Again)

 

Miles Mikolas: Flexor Tendon Tear

 

Miles Mikolas suffered a flexor tendon strain during the end of the 2019 season and Spring Training, and it will end up costing him the 2020 season.

Return Date: 2021

 

Eduardo Rodriguez: Myocarditis 

 

The Red Sox announced Saturday that Eduardo Rodriguez would miss the rest of the 2020 season due to a COVID-19 related heart condition.

Return Date: 2021

 

Injury Rate Public Service Announcement! 

 

Something that has caught my attention is the number of pitchers hitting the IL. Since Opening Day on July 23, there have been 90 pitchers who’ve landed on the IL. Over the course of the first 11 days (July 23-Aug. 2), the MLB is averaging over eight new pitchers added to the IL daily. Comparing those numbers to the first 11 days of the 2019 season (March 28-April 7), there were 65 pitchers placed on the IL. We are looking at a 38% increase in injured pitchers between the two seasons, and that is a cause for concern. I’m hoping that as the season continues we begin to see a decrease in the number of pitchers who hit the IL on a daily basis.

But as of now, for fantasy purposes, I would begin taking a hard look at your pitching depth and make plans for pitchers to have a higher-than-normal amount of injuries. I’m not entirely sure why this is the case, it could have something to do with short Summer Camp and the fact that most pitchers haven’t pitched in Major League action in almost nine months. This is going to be something that I keep an eye on for the next couple of weeks.

 

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)