During spring training, I will dive into injuries once a week. 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.
Max Scherzer – Side Soreness
Max Scherzer has been dealing with side discomfort, and has said that the soreness is due to a change in mechanics to protect his back/neck. He recently threw a bullpen session that the Nationals said went great. It looks like he should be ready for Opening Day. I wouldn’t be too concerned about this and would draft him with confidence.
Return date: Opening Day
Gary Sanchez – Back Stiffness/Flu
Gary Sanchez was dealing with back stiffness and the flu this past week. I wouldn’t be surprised if the back issue is a result of having the flu. I also wouldn’t be worried about drafting him going forward, and Sanchez should be good to go for Opening Day.
Return date: Opening Day
Trey Mancini – Colon Cancer
Last week we were told that Trey Mancini would be stepping away for a personal non-baseball related surgery. We now know that it was to have a malignant tumor removed from his colon. There isn’t much of a time table for a return from this type of matter, making it hard to pinpoint when Mancini returns. We have seen guys undergo cancer treatment in the past and return during the season, Carlos Carrasco and Jameson Tailon are two recent examples. I would imagine that Mancini returns to the Orioles at some point during the 2020 season, just not sure when that will be.
Return date: End quarter of the season
Paul Goldschmidt – Elbow Soreness
Paul Goldschmidt has been dealing with some elbow soreness since late February, and it still hasn’t fully healed. With the beginning of the season delayed, hopefully the time off will be enough for Goldschmidt’s elbow to heal. I expect Goldschmidt, with time off, to be back to 100% in 2-3 weeks.
Return date: Opening Day
Michael Conforto – Oblique Strain
The Mets have diagnosed Michael Conforto with a Grade 1 oblique strain. I imagine that Conforto will need about 3-4 weeks till he is ready to return to MLB action. Oblique injuries are always tough to gauge, and have the potential to be a long term injury—this is something we will have to keep an eye on going forward. If I’m drafting today, I’m knocking Conforto down a little bit on my rankings.
Return date: 3-4 weeks
Adam Eaton – Hamstring
Adam Eaton has been dealing with a hamstring issue for the past week or so. The Nationals are expecting him to be ready for Opening Day, and I expect that to be true. The delay to the season is a good thing for Eaton, and anyone else dealing with hamstring issues.
Return date: Opening Day
Willie Calhoun – Broken Jaw
Willie Calhoun suffered a broken jaw after being hit in the face by a pitch earlier this past week. Calhoun underwent successful surgery to repair his jaw, and reports from the Rangers have been positive. Since Calhoun did not need to have his jaw wired shut, he should be able to return sooner than initially thought. After the Rangers reevaluate Calhoun in 2 weeks, then we should have a better timeline for his return. If I’m drafting today, I’m assuming it will take about 3-4 weeks until he is able to resume baseball activities, and then able to return around early May (assuming the season has started by then).
Return date: Early May
If there is a player you would like information on, leave a comment or send me a tweet, and I will reply as I’m able!
Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)
Great stuff, Jake. Really enjoying what you’ve done with this column.
Hey J.C.! I really appreciate it! Always open to feedback if there is anything missing from these reports too! Thanks for reading.
Hi Jake, what do you think of Carlos Carrasco? I have a deal on the table that he’s involved in. Do you think with the pushed back start he’s good to go with that elbow? And I read somewhere that the cancer could still be a problem (probably just throwing stuff against the wall), but it’s the elbow that I’m worried about.
Hey! Thanks for reaching out and sorry for the delayed response! Not having Carrasco on this list was 100% an oversite on my part, I thought the update was on his hip and not his elbow. So I apologize for that.
This is what I’m thinking is going on with him. Based on older news, he deals with elbow soreness a lot during Spring Training. So this could just be that. Given the push back to the season, I would expect this to heal up and feel better. Whenever the MLB restarts “Spring/Summer Training” I wouldn’t be surprised if he deals with this again. I’m targeting Carrasco this year and this doesn’t scare me off one bit. I think it’s just a little irritation/inflammation that will come and go.
Thanks for reaching out!
Jake,
Have you heard anything about Tyler Beede’s second opinion on his flexor and UCL sprains? I was hoping this would be his breakout season. But, last I heard, there was a possibility of TJ surgery.
Thanks
Jake, also wondering about Brendan Rodgers’ recovery status. Thanks.
Hey Dave! Sorry for the delayed response! So keep in mind that information coming out of camps has basically stopped so I’m rolling with the best guess here.
For Brendan Rodgers, everything seemed to be rolling for him to be ready for whenever Opening Day is. Since we are thinking late May/Early June as the earliest start date, I would put it at 99.9% that he is able to play Opening Day. So if you are targetting Rodgers, go get him!
Tyler Beede – a sprain UCL is a torn UCL. Ligament and tendons are graded I, II, and III. Flexor strain and UCL strain go hand in hand. It’s a chicken and egg situation where they can both cause each other to happen. The fact that nothing has been said in the past week seems like a good sign to me that he is going to try to rehab and return to the mound in 2020. I think if both doctors recommended surgery we would have gone ahead and had the surgery already.
If I’m drafting I’m avoiding Beede just because even if he doesn’t have the surgery, that UCL will always be damaged and could go at any moment. Just one of my personal strategies when it comes to pitcher and elbow issues.
Hope this helps! Feel free to reach out again if you have anything else!