Noteworthy fantasy baseball injuries

December 28, 2008 @ 01:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Tim Heaney

Catchers

Player	Team	Injury (surgery date)	Est. Return	Notes
Joe Mauer	MIN	Kidney surgery	Spring Training	Surgery eliminated a kidney obstruction - situation wasn't considered serious; he has resumed workouts
Jorge Posada	NYY	Arthroscopic shoulder surgery (7/30)	Spring Training	Started throwing program early December; could serve as designated hitter if not ready to throw

 

First basemen

Player	Team	Injury (surgery date)	Est. Return	Notes
Todd Helton	COL	Back surgery (9/30)	No timetable	Team is unsure how long it will be until Helton is back to 100 percent; Helton taking it slow in recovery

 

Second basemen

Player	Team	Injury (surgery date)	Est. Return	Notes
Chase Utley	PHI	Offseason hip surgery (11/25)	Opening Day 2009	Optimistic of a return for Opening Day; he could be out until June, though
Aaron Hill	TOR	Concussion	Spring Training	Has been cleared to practice full time for the last month

 

Third basemen

Player	Team	Injury (surgery date)	Est. Return	Notes
Melvin Mora	BAL	Minor shoulder surgery	Spring Training	Removed small, arthritic section of distal clavicle (part of AC joint)
Mike Lowell	BOS	Offseason hip surgery (11/20)	Spring Training	Rehab is ahead of schedule; originally believed to return mid-March; underwent surgery 10/20
Jorge Cantu	FLA	Shoulder	Spring Training	Apparent shoulder problem could force Cantu to shift from third base to first base
Pedro Feliz	PHI	Lumbar Disectomy (11/20)	Opening Day 2009	Recovery time expected to be eight to 12 weeks
Kevin Kouzmanoff	SD	Arthroscopic Surgery (11/15)	Spring Training	Move along - nothing to see here.
Adrian Beltre	SEA	Shoulder and thumb surgery (10/20)	Spring Training	Shoulder has been sore but thumb has felt better; he has been hitting and taking ground balls

 

Shortstops

Player	Team	Injury (surgery date)	Est. Return	Notes
Hanley Ramirez	FLA	Shoulder soreness	Spring Training	No Winter Baseball for Hanley; shoulder was bothering him in September

 

Outfielders

Player	Team	Injury (surgery date)	Est. Return	Notes
Willy Taveras	CIN	Stress fracture in leg	Spring Training	WAS was wary of trading for him because of stress fracture, but he is reportedly healthy
Carlos Lee	HOU	Broken pinkie finger (9/10)	Spring Training	Finger fully healed from surgery; splint removed 11/10 - status for WBC unknown
Gary Matthews Jr.	LAA	Knee surgery (11/28)	May	Surgery repaired torn patella tendon in left knee; Juan Rivera re-signed could take up his outfield spot
B.J. Upton	TB	Shoulder surgery (11/11)	Opening Day 2009	Could miss some Spring Training games; surgery was to repair torn labrum in left shoulder
Barry Bonds	FA	Hip surgery	Opening Day 2009	Underwent surgery with the hope of playing this season; hoping to be ready for start of the season

 

Designated hitters

Player	Team	Injury (surgery date)	Est. Return	Notes
David Ortiz	BOS	Wrist inflammation	Spring Training	Expects return to form after wrist bothered him last year; doctors said he needed only rest, no surgery
Travis Hafner	CLE	Shoulder	Spring Training	Had shoulder re-examined by Dr. James Andrews; should begin taking swings in mid-January
Gary Sheffield	DET	Shoulder	Spring Training	Expected to be fully healthy, though Jim Leyland doubts Sheffield will play in outfield in 2009

 

Starting pitchers

Player	Team	Injury (surgery date)	Est. Return	Notes
Josh Beckett	BOS	Oblique strain	Spring Training	Will skip World Baseball Classic to rest; has started working out at home and is returning to normal
Jeremy Bonderman	DET	Shoulder surgery (6/30)	Spring Training	Expects to be close to 100 percent by mid-January
Kelvim Escobar	LAA	Shoulder surgery	Mid-2009	Might be used in a light relief role initially
Chad Billingsley	LAD	Leg surgery (11/22)	Spring Training	Surgery repaired a spiral fracture of the fibula in his left leg; expected to begin throwing in January
Johan Santana	NYM	Knee surgery (10/1)	Spring Training	Underwent surgery to repair torn meniscus in left knee
Justin Duchscherer	OAK	Hip surgery (9/29)	Opening Day 2009	Torn cartilage cleaned out during exploratory surgery
Erik Bedard	SEA	Shoulder surgery (9/26)	Spring Training	Cleared to throw in December; surgery removed cyst from shoulder
Chris Carpenter	STL	Nerve surgery (11/4)	Spring Training	Expected to begin throwing program after undergoing nerve tests 12/4; may enter team's CL picture
Dustin McGowan	TOR	Shoulder surgery (7/31)	May or June	Surgery repaired fraying in shoulder labrum; McGowan aiming to return sooner
Shaun Marcum	TOR	Tommy John surgery	Opening Day 2010	Will miss all of 2009 after undergoing Tommy John surgery last season
John Smoltz	FA	Shoulder surgery (6/10)	April or May	Still drawing interest on the FA market as a starter; the Atlanta Braves are encouraged by his rehab
Mark Mulder	FA	Shoulder	No timetable	Restoring arm angle from a few years ago

 

Relief pitchers

Player	Team	Injury (surgery date)	Est. Return	Notes
George Sherrill	BAL	Shoulder	Spring Training	Reportedly has felt no pain in his shoulder; will play catch in January
Chris Ray	BAL	Elbow	No timetable	Hoping to come back for Spring Training; if healthy, he could eventually push Sherrill for closer duties
Billy Wagner	NYM	Tommy John surgery (9/10)	2009?	Originally thought to be finished with club; ahead of schedule in rehab and could return in 2009
Mariano Rivera	NYY	Arthroscopic shoulder surgery (10/3)	Spring Training	Will likely take usual light workload for Spring Training, skipping WBC and Grapefruit League road games
Troy Percival	TB	Back surgery (12/2)	No timetable	Recovering well from surgery, though he might not be ready for Opening Day; he's still the closer for now
Takashi Saito	FA	Elbow	No timetable	Rehabbing well but might not be ready to start the season

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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.

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