Fantasy Baseball and MLB News, Rumors and Injury Updates

Noteworthy fantasy baseball injuries

April 23, 2009 @ 01:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

Injuries can sink your fantasy baseball team faster than you can say Tommy John surgery. From your star third baseman landing on the 15-day disabled list to that staff ace scheduling a visit with the dreaded Dr. James Andrews, knowing what is going on in the world of fantasy baseball injuries can be crucial to winning your fantasy baseball league. Each week, KFFL.com takes you around the majors for all the latest updates on all the injured fantasy-relevant players.

Catchers

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Brian McCann	ATL	Eye	N/A	Admitted some blurred vision in his return 4/22; adjusting to new contact, which hopefully will delay surgery
Joe Mauer	MIN	Inflamed sacroiliac joint in back	5/1	Has been playing in rehab games with Class A Fort Myers; Twins plan to catch him on consecutive days this weekend
Ryan Doumit	PIT	Fractured right wrist	No timetable	Will undergo right wrist surgery to have pins inserted in his wrist; 8 to 10 weeks is the expected timetable for his return
Kenji Johjima	SEA	Tight right hamstring	No timetable	Played catch and took 35 swings in the batting cage 4/21; was scheduled to take batting practice 4/22
Brian Schneider	NYM	Back	No timetable	Placed on the 15-day disabled list 4/17 with a musclle strain in his back - not a huge loss in mixed leagues
Carlos Ruiz	PHI	Oblique	Late April	Doubtful he'll return when eligible 4/26; still on schedule to return next week and could begin a rehab assignment 4/24

First basemen

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Nomar Garciaparra	OAK	Calf tightness	No timetable	Returned from his calf tightness 4/17 ... but only for one day; 35-year-old hasn't played since then, and no timetable for return

Third basemen

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Alex Rodriguez	NYY	Hip surgery (3/9/09)	Late April	Ran the bases 4/22 for the first time since his injury; he also increased some of his defensive drills
Chipper Jones	ATL	Bruised left thumb	N/A	Has returned to the lineup and is trying out a new guard on his left thumb in hopes it will help him play through the pain
Jorge Cantu	FLA	Wrist	No timetable	No major cartilage or bone damage in his wrist; Fredi Gonzalez said Cantu's wrist is just bruised, but Cantu sat out 4/22
Melvin Mora	BAL	Hamstring	No timetable	Participated in fielding drills 4/21 for the first time since going on the DL; not sure if he'll be able to return when eligible 4/28
Alex Gordon	KC	Hip	Late June	Expected to miss 10 to 12 weeks after undergoing hip surgery 4/17; recovery is going well so far, according to Trey Hillman
Troy Glaus	STL	Shoulder surgery (1/22)	No timetable	Set back in his rehab from arthroscopic shoulder surgery, he won't be re-evaluated until the beginning of June

Shortstops

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Stephen Drew	ARI	Hamstring	N/A	After missing three days with a hamstring injury, he returned as a pinch-hitter 4/21 and to the starting lineup 4/22
Yunel Escobar	ATL	Strained abdominal muscle	N/A	Returned to the lineup 4/20, but he has registered only one hit in 14 at-bats
Julio Lugo	BOS	Arthroscopic knee surgery (3/17)	4/27	Jed Lowrie could be out for an extended period of time, opening up a spot for Lugo, who is expected to come off the DL 4/27
Jed Lowrie	BOS	Wrist	No timetable	Turns out surgery was the choice; Lowrie underwent a successful surgery and is expected to resume swinging a bat in six weeks

Outfielders

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Josh Hamilton	TEX	Bruised ribs	4/23	Wasn't in the lineup for the Rangers' 4/22 game in Canada after crashing into the wall 4/21; expected to return 4/23
Vladimir Guerrero	LAA	Pectoral strain	No timetable	Placed on the 15-day DL, Vlad will miss at least one month; will be the primary designated hitter once he does return
B.J. Upton	TB	Quadriceps	N/A	Out of the lineup 4/21 but returned 4/22; said tightness in his quadriceps is limiting his movements, and he'll monitor his legs
Milton Bradley	CHC	Groin strain	N/A	Returned to the lineup 4/22 , but he'll now sit until he's 100 percent; when he returns to the lineup, it'll be in the sixth spot
Andruw Jones	TEX	Knee	No timetable	Left early 4/22 after bruising his right knee; no word yet on the severity of the injury - tough turf in Toronto could influence target
Hideki Matsui	NYY	Knee	No timetable	Knee is responding well after cortisone shot - he says fluid wasn't drained; Joe Girardi could keep him in the lineup as DH for now
Xavier Nady	NYY	Elbow	Late May/early June	A surprise prognosis? Will not require TJ surgery and could return in weeks instead of months, unlike originally thought
Rocco Baldelli	BOS	Mild hamstring strain	No timetable	Placed on the 15-day disabled list 4/21 with a mild hamstring strain; no big surprise for the oft-injured slugger
Garret Anderson	ATL	Quadriceps	No timetable	Missed his third straight game 4/22; he might be placed on the disabled list if he is not able to play 4/24

Starting pitchers

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Brandon Webb	ARI	Right shoulder stiffness	No timetable	Reported feeling no pain after throwing 33 times in a bullpen session 4/21; another session 4/24 could lead to a rehab assignment
John Lackey	LAA	Elbow tightness	No timetable	Headed off to Arizona to begin a minor league rehab assignment; will throw two innings 4/24 and 4/25
Daisuke Matsuzaka	BOS	Arm fatigue	No timetable	Made 30 throws from 60 feet 4/22; will throw again 4/24, but team is unsure when he'll throw off a mound
Ervin Santana	LAA	Sprained MCL in elbow	May	Like Lackey, he is off to Arizona for extended spring training; he'll throw two innings 4/24 and 4/25
Justin Duchscherer	OAK	Bone spur in right elbow	May	Cleanup surgery was a success earlier this season; there's no timeframe for him to begin throwing, but it could be soon
John Smoltz	BOS	Shoulder surgery (6/10/08)	Late May/early June	If Smoltz comes out of 4/22 bullpen session fine, he may pitch a couple of innings in extended Spring Training or facing live hitters 4/25
Hiroki Kuroda	LAD	Side muscle strain	End of April	Japenese hurler will throw a bullpen session 4/23; he could return to the rotation by the end of the month
Chris Carpenter	STL	Oblique	No timetable	Oblique is improving, but he is still far from where he needs to be; medical staff has given him timetable of 30 days to recover
Kelvim Escobar	LAA	Shoulder	Early May	Transferred to the 60-day DL, Escobar is making progress; he has thrown from 150 feet and could throw off a mound this weekend
Ben Sheets	FA	Elbow tendon surgery (2/10)	After All-Star break	Hoping to return after the All-Star break; Rangers are interested if he recovers nicely
Jeremy Bonderman	DET	Shoulder surgery (6/30/08)	No timetable	Threw 40 pitches off the mound in Lakeland last weekend; fastball was 89-90 mph and approaching where it should be
Jesse Litsch	TOR	Forearm strain	No timetable	Diagnosed with a strained right forearm and elbow, Litsch might be ahead of schedule and could return in 3 weeks
Ricky Romero	TOR	Oblique strain	No timetable	Another Jays starter bites the dust: Romero is on the 15-day DL with an oblique strain; these can linger, so watch out
Mike Pelfrey	NYM	Forearm tendonitis	4/25	Threw a bullpen before the Mets game 4/21 and will make his next start 4/25
Jake Westbrook	CLE	Tommy John surgery (6/12/08), hip surgery	Midseason	On 60-day disabled list; has been throwing 60-pitch bullpens off the mound and could begin simulated game activities next month
Tom Glavine	ATL	Rotator cuff inflammation	No timetable	Has been told to rest arm for at least another week; agent says thoughts that Glavine's career coming to an end are hasty
Tim Hudson	ATL	Tommy John surgery (8/8/08)	August	Throwing off a mound and playing catch; doesn't figure to return until late '09 - Hudson is targeting August

Relief pitchers

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Jose Valverde	HOU	Ankle, calf	N/A	Was not available to pitch 4/22 because of a bruised right ankle and pulled calf muscle; he could be out a couple of days
Trevor Hoffman	MIL	Oblique	4/26	Allowed one run in one inning of recent outing for Triple-A Nashville; will pitch 4/24 and could be activated before 4/26 game
Matt Lindstrom	FLA	Rotator cuff strain	N/A	Recorded two saves in the last week, but most importantly he worked consecutive days and reported feeling stronger
Kevin Gregg	CHC	Knee	N/A	Knee must be feeling better after Lou Piniella used him for two innings in a 4/18 game
Joey Devine	OAK	Tommy John surgery (4/21)	2010	Underwent the dreaded Tommy John surgery and also had a bone spur removed from his elbow; don't expect him back soon
Billy Wagner	NYM	Tommy John surgery (9/10/08)	September	Still aiming for return in the final month of the season after throwing a bullpen session of fastballs and changeups last week

Author Bio

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.