Injury Report: August 10

Welcome to this week’s Injury Report! 

 

Ryan Mountcastle – Concussion 

 

Ryan Mountcastle is on the 7-day IL with a concussion after a hard tag to his head. There is always a risk with concussions that they linger around longer than expected. With that being said, reports are that Mountcastle is responding well. I would expect Mountcastle to return end of the weekend/early part of next week. Just keep an eye on the reports coming out of Baltimore; concussions can change on a dime. 

Return Date: 7-10 days  

Worry-o-meter: 2

 

Aroldis Chapman – Elbow Inflammation 

 

It seems that Aroldis Chapman has dodged a major bullet with his elbow. An MRI shows that there is no damage to his UCL, and he is only dealing with inflammation. At this point, it seems that Chapman has the chance to have a short IL stint and avoid missing significant time. Given his age and the miles on his arm, it might take Chapman longer to return than we are hoping. 

Return Date: Mid/Late August

Worry-o-meter: 4

 

Gleyber Torres – Thumb Sprain 

 

Initial reports are that Gleyber Torres will be out for 10-20 days, pending a visit with a specialist. The mechanism of the injury does have the potential to injury Torres’ UCL (thumb, not elbow!), and that would cause a prolonged absence. As of now, I’m giving my estimate based on the Yankee’s reporting that Torres will be out for the initial 10-20 days. We will have to keep an eye out for the report once Torres sees the specialist. 

Return Date: Late August

Worry-o-meter: 4 

 

Kwang Hyun Kim – Elbow Inflammation 

 

Kwang Hyun Kim is also on the IL due to elbow inflammation. No reports from the Cardinals about Kim’s status, or if he has had an MRI at this point. I’m less worried about Kim than I am about Chapman. I think he has a chance to miss close to the minimum. We don’t have much to go off of right now, but Kim should respond well to treatment once his inflammation decreases. He shouldn’t need a rehab assignment, so expect him to return sooner rather than later. 

Return Date: Mid/Late August 

Worry-o-meter: 3

 

Team Updates

 

• Josh Rojas could be activated today. 
• Chris Sale will make his season debut on Saturday. I would avoid starting him for his first start or two. 

 

• Welcome back, Luis Robert!!!
• Shane Bieber is expected to start throwing off the mound in the next week. This is a big step in his return. Once he starts throwing off the mound, we will begin the 2-4 week countdown until he returns. 

 

• Expect Alex Bregman to be activated sometime this week; start with confidence. 
• Clayton Kershaw was moved to the 60-day IL. The earliest Kershaw can return is in early September. Worry-o-meter is sitting around 6-7 right now, but I’m still holding on to my shares of Kershaw. 

 

• Gavin Lux has started a rehab assignment. 
• Pablo Lopez is scheduled to throw a bullpen session today. 

 

• Francisco Lindor is ramping up his baseball activities, but he is still pretty far off from a rehab assignment. I would expect him to go out on assignment in the next 7-10 days. 
• Corey Kluber is scheduled to go out on a rehab assignment this week. Expect him to need closer to the 30 days before returning to the Yankees. 

 

• Luis Severino is expected to make one more rehab start, then return to the Yankees next week. 
• Fernando Tatis Jr took batting practice and is nearing a return. At this point, we have to hold our breath every time he dives or slides headfirst on the field. 

 

• Jack Flaherty is scheduled to be activated and make his first start off the IL on Thursday or Friday. I would start Flaherty if he is on your roster, but don’t expect a long outing. 

Thanks for reading! As always, if there is someone else you have a question about, leave me a comment or find me on Twitter (@JakeRobinsonDPT). I will get to them as I’m able to. Be sure to check back next week for the latest injury report!

Featured image by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter).