During the offseason, I will dive into injuries as they come up. I will use my knowledge and what is being reported by the team to give an estimated return date and performance outlook for the rest of the season.
Mike Clevinger – Meniscus Surgery
Mike Clevinger underwent surgery to repair a partially torn left medial meniscus on February 14th. The team is reporting that Clevinger will be out six-to-eight weeks before returning to Major League game activity. With six weeks being right at Opening Day, this is the best news we could have received. Once Clevinger returns, he should be able to perform without having this injury affecting him. Draft Clevinger with confidence.
Return date: Late March-Mid-April
Tyler Glasnow – Median Nerve Decompression Surgery
Reports came out last week that Tyler Glasnow had median nerve decompression surgery in November. The team is reporting that Glasnow should be ready to go for Opening Day, and this shouldn’t impact his performance when the season starts. Given his elbow injury history, I would be cautious if any other elbow/forearm issue comes up during the season.
Return date: Opening Day
Cole Hamels – Shoulder Discomfort
Cole Hamels injured his shoulder during weighted ball exercises and will not participate in baseball activities for three weeks. The injury itself doesn’t seem to be raising any alarms, and the critical thing will be to get an adequate amount of rest. Hamels will miss about half of Spring Training and will need to make up that time before returning to game action. We should know more after the Braves re-evaluate Hamels in three weeks.
Return date: Mid-April
Lucas Giolito – Rib Soreness
Lucas Giolito is dealing with rib cage soreness and a strained chest muscle. The White Sox don’t seem to be too worried about this injury, and I wouldn’t be either. The rib soreness and strain is something that should resolve on its own with some rest, and Giolito should be ready for Opening Day. I would draft Giolito with confidence and not worry about this impacting his 2020 performance.
Return date: Opening Day
Alex Verdugo – Oblique/Back
Alex Verdugo appears to be suffering from the back/oblique/core injury that caused his season to shut down last August. It is looking like Opening Day is in jeopardy, and the exact timeline isn’t known. The key for Verdugo will be to take his time before returning. If he waits till he is feeling 100%, then I wouldn’t be worried about his performance. But if he rushes back, then the likelihood of reinjuring his oblique/back will increase. The oblique/back issue has already shown to be a lingering issue for him; the last thing he needs to do is to rush before he is ready to return.
Return date: Early/Mid-April
Yasmani Grandal – Calf Strain
Yasmani Grandal suffered from a calf strain during the first day of workouts. The White Sox are saying that he should be ready for Opening Day, and we have no reason to believe that won’t be the case. As long as Grandal gets the proper amount of rest and treatment, this shouldn’t impact his performance for the 2020 season. The last thing we need is to have him rush back and have a repeat of Josh Donaldson in 2018.
Return date: Opening Day
If there is a player you would like information on, leave a comment, and I will reply as I’m able!
Graphic by Michael Haas (@digitalHaas on Twitter)
Mitch Haniger?
Hey Lance! Something happened as I copied and pasted my format from my previous article that talks about Haniger. Here is the link to the article where I talked about him, https://pitcherlist.com/offseason-injury-report-mitch-haniger-and-luis-urias/
Thanks for reaching out!
Lance, I just now put together what you were saying with Haniger. Somehow I completely missed his back surgery! Haniger will be included in this week’s injury report so be on the lookout for that this weekend!
I have Clevinger as a potential 16th round keeper. Loved that value a week ago, should I still today? My other option for keeper would be Hiura in the 25th round.
Take this with a grain of salt, because my expertise is in the injury department. But I would personally keep Clevinger. Hiura had a pretty high BABIP and K rate last season. But this might would be a better question for someone on the site who is smarter than me when it comes to fantasy performance/expectations. But if the injury is what is scaring you off with Clevinger, I do not expect this to impact him once he returns!
Hope this helps!
Perfectly seasoned, no salt needed. I share your concerns about Hiura. I was 100% certain on Clev > Hiura prior to the injury. The doubt arose with the injury. I think I will stick with Clev knowing this shouldn’t be a lingering issue throughout the season. Thanks for the response!