Fantasy Baseball and MLB News, Rumors and Injury Updates

Noteworthy fantasy baseball injuries

May 14, 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
Ryan Doumit	PIT	Fractured right wrist	Late June/early July	No reported setbacks after being told he could start working out last week; Bucs riding Robinzon Diaz's hot hand behind the plate
Jorge Posada	NYY	Hamstring	Late May	Took batting practice, threw and ran in the outfield and did sprints 5/13; he could be ready for a rehab game early next week
Brian Schneider	NYM	Back, calf	Mid-May	Still limited by soreness in his left calf, Schneider skipped an extended spring game 5/11; no timetable for him to resume playing

First basemen

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Joey Votto	CIN	Illness	5/15	Left early 5/12 because of dizziness and was not in the lineup 5/13; he missed four starts last week because of the flu
Derrek Lee	CHC	Neck	N/A	Returned 5/12 but still has a bulging disc in his neck; is a trip to the DL inevitable even though he says it's "impossible"?
Kevin Youkilis	BOS	Oblique	5/20	Placed on the 15-day DL 5/13, retroactive to 5/5; expected to play in a rehab game before returning when eligible
Carlos Delgado	NYM	Hip	Day-to-day	Missed his third straight game 5/13; an injection two weeks ago didn't help, and he could be headed to the DL 5/15
Nomar Garciaparra	OAK	Calf tightness	5/18	Ran the bases 5/13 but was not able to do so at full speed; eligible to return 5/15, but he might not rejoin the team until 5/18

Second basemen

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Dustin Pedroia	BOS	Groin	5/14	Missed two games, though he was available off the bench if needed; he was back in the lineup 5/14
Aaron Hill	TOR	Shin	Day-to-day	Left early 5/13 after fouling a ball off his shin; Hill says he is fine and the move was just precautionary

Third basemen

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Alex Rodriguez	NYY	Hip surgery (3/9/09)	N/A	Returned to the lineup 5/8 and smoked a homer on the first pitch he saw; feel free to put back in your lineup
Aramis Ramirez	CHC	Shoulder	June	Will miss 4-6 weeks after dislocating shoulder 5/8; has started range-of-motion exercises; could need a rehab assignment before returning
Edwin Encarnacion	CIN	Wrist	Late May	Able to throw, run and work out, but still no word if he has started baseball activities; traveling with the team to keep up his workouts
Eric Chavez	OAK	Forearm, back	No timetable	Dealing with a bulging disc in his back now; plans for a rehab assignment have now likely been pushed back a couple of weeks
Alex Gordon	KC	Hip	Mid-July	Was set to begin swinging lightly; scheduled for a follow-up exam in late May, and rough return date is All-Star break
Troy Glaus	STL	Shoulder surgery (1/22)	No timetable	Set back in his rehab from arthroscopic shoulder surgery and nursing his shoulder in Arizona; he won't be re-evaluated until early June

Shortstops

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Stephen Drew	ARI	Hamstring	N/A	Returned from the DL 5/12, played in a game 5/13; recorded one hit and two strikeouts in four at-bats
Derek Jeter	NYY	Oblique	5/14	Took groundballs before the Yanks' 5/13 game; hoping to swing before 5/14 contest and could return to the lineup
J.J. Hardy	MIL	Head	Day-to-day	Left at the end of the sixth inning 5/13 after experiencing numbness in left hand and diminished vision in left eye; was back 5/14
Troy Tulowitzki	COL	Elbow	5/15	Was feeling better 5/14 after taking a pitch on the elbow 5/13; wasn't in the lineup 5/14, but he could return 5/15
Jed Lowrie	BOS	Wrist	June	Back in Boston, and his rehab activities include massages, stretching and icing; timetable was 6-8 weeks from 4/21 surgery

Outfielders

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Josh Hamilton	TEX	Ribcage	N/A	Activated from the DL 5/12 after a short rehab stint at Triple-A; hit a two-run homer in his return ... insert back into lineup
Carl Crawford	TB	Shoulder	Day-to-day	Speedy outfielder doesn't expect to miss much time after bruising his shoulder 5/13
Carlos Quentin	CHW	Heel	5/15	Wasn't in the starting lineup 5/13 for the second straight day; he appeared as a pinch hitter, though, and hopes to start 5/15
Vladimir Guerrero	LAA	Pectoral strain	No timetable	Has started taking full swings in the batting cages and is scheduled for live batting practice 5/15; will be the DH once he returns
Ryan Ludwick	STL	Hamstring	No timetable	No word yet on the seriousness of his injury; he left early 5/12 with a strained right hamstring and was placed on the DL 5/13
Adam L. Jones	BAL	Hamstring	Day-to-day	Left early 5/13 after aggravating right hamstring, diagnosed as mild strain; prospect Nolan Reimold was called up, could see PT
Xavier Nady	NYY	Elbow	Late May/early June	Will attempt to swing a bat 5/15 and also scheduled to take soft toss; if no setbacks, could go on rehab assignment next week
Rick Ankiel	STL	Neck, shoulder	No timetable	Shoulder is main area of his soreness; Tony La Russa said it would be 7-10 days from 5/8 before Ankiel can start working out
Carlos Guillen	DET	Achilles', shoulder	No timetable	Is working with a physical therapist in Detroit and has shown improvement; do they really need to rush his struggling bat back?
Gary Matthews Jr.	LAA	Back	Day-to-day	Surging outfielder was sidelined 5/13 with tightness in his lower back; Reggie Willits replaced him
Fred Lewis	SF	Toe	5/14	Didn't start 5/12 or 5/13 because of a minor toe injury; he was able to pinch hit 5/13, though, and is expected to return 5/14
Conor Jackson	ARI	Illness	No timetable	Hasn't felt well for the last few weeks and was placed on DL 5/12; will be sent to undergo series of tests to determine illness

Designated hitters

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Travis Hafner	CLE	Shoulder	No timetable	Positive results from batting practice this week; will join Triple-A Columbus for a rehab assignment of undetermined length 5/15
Pat Burrell	TB	Neck	Day-to-day	Sent back to Tampa to have his stiff neck checked out; has been bothering him since late April, though not sure what aggravated it
Hideki Matsui	NYY	Hamstring	Day-to-day	Nagging hamstring injury kept him out of the lineup 5/13; no word yet on a return, but given turf in Toronto, might not be 5/14
Luke Scott	BAL	Shoulder	Day-to-day	Took 15 swings in the batting cage 5/13 but said he wasn't ready to return to the lineup; was expected to miss a only few games

Starting pitchers

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Brandon Webb	ARI	Right shoulder stiffness	June	Still not expecting an early return; could start playing catch during upcoming road trip, which would be followed by a throwing program
Carlos Zambrano	CHC	Hamstring	Late May	Felt great during fielding drills 5/14; expected to throw 75 pitches during his first rehab start 5/17 for Single-A Daytona
John Lackey	LAA	Elbow tightness	5/16	Threw 75 pitches over five innings 5/10; scheduled to make his season debut 5/16 against the Texas Rangers
Daisuke Matsuzaka	BOS	Arm fatigue	Next week	Slated for another rehab start 5/15 after throwing four scoreless innings 5/10; he could return to the rotation next week
Erik Bedard	SEA	Hamstring	No timetable	Threw season-high 110 pitches in his last start; likely will miss next start 5/16 - Don Wakamatsu will make a decision 5/15
Ervin Santana	LAA	Sprained MCL in elbow	N/A	Was activated from the DL 5/14 and will start against the Boston Red Sox; hit 94 mph during his last rehab start 5/9
Justin Duchscherer	OAK	Bone spur in right elbow	June	Will still return as a starter, but likely not when he is eligible 6/4; scheduled to throw off the mound for the first time 5/22
John Smoltz	BOS	Shoulder surgery (6/10/08)	Mid-June	Threw a side session 5/12 and is expected to throw two innings in an extended Spring Training game 5/15
Chien-Ming Wang	NYY	Hips	Late May	Allowed only three hits during six scoreless innings 5/12; he will receive at least one more rehab start before rejoining Yanks
Hiroki Kuroda	LAD	Side muscle strain	No timetable	Needs to throw at least two more bullpen sessions before facing live hitters; threw 40 pitches off a bullpen mound 5/12
Chris Carpenter	STL	Oblique	No timetable	Threw off a mound 5/12 for the first time since injuring himself; expected to throw again 5/15
Kelvim Escobar	LAA	Shoulder	No timetable	Pitched "very well" in a camp game 5/11, per Mike Scioscia, and has headed to Arizona to join extended Spring Training
Ben Sheets	FA	Elbow tendon surgery (2/10)	August	Hope for return around All-Star break slim, but now August is probably best-case scenario; Rangers had shown interest
Jeremy Bonderman	DET	Shoulder surgery (6/30/08)	No timetable	Reported no soreness in his shoulder after a side session 5/13; will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A West Michigan 5/16
Jesse Litsch	TOR	Forearm strain	June	Jays won't rush him back with the rotation performing as it has been; he has been throwing in Florida and should return in June
Ricky Romero	TOR	Oblique strain	No timetable	Gave up two runs, struck out four and walked five in 5 1/3 innings at Double-A 5/13; no firm timetable set
Jake Westbrook	CLE	Tommy John surgery (6/12/08), hip surgery	Midseason	Threw 20 pitches in an extended spring game this week; scheduled to throw again 5/15, and he should increase his workload weekly
Tom Glavine	ATL	Rotator cuff inflammation	No timetable	Completed a 37-pitch bullpen session 5/13; said he could definitely pitch in a game, and he'll likely throw a simulated game 5/18
Shaun Marcum	TOR	Tommy John surgery (9/30/08)	No timetable	Recovering quickly from Tommy John surgery; he is throwing bullpens for the rest of May and could pitch in the minors in June
Tim Hudson	ATL	Tommy John surgery (8/8/08)	August	Could be ready to throw off a mound by the middle of May; willing to come back as a reliever if it means returning before August

Relief pitchers

Player	TM	Injury	Est. return	Notes
Joakim Soria	KC	Rotator cuff	No timetable	Placed on 15-day DL with a strained right rotator cuff; he has no structural damage but will have to pitch in the minors before returning
Frank Francisco	TEX	Biceps	Day-to-day	Biceps tendonitis has sidelined him for a few days; played catch without problems 5/14 and hopes to be available 5/16
Matt Capps	PIT	Elbow discomfort	N/A	Returned 5/12 and hasn't allowed a run in two appearances since; recorded his first save 5/13 since 4/22, too
Jose Valverde	HOU	Calf	June	Has started playing catch and is working with physical therapists to keep his arm strong as his leg heals
B.J. Ryan	TOR	Trapezius tightness	Mid-May	Attempting to slow down his delivery in the minors, and he could return within a week; he won't be closing initially, however
Taylor Buchholz	COL	Partially torn UCL in elbow	June	Has been throwing bullpens of 30-35 pitches using all fastballs; will work in changeups soon and is hoping to throw a sim game this month
Billy Wagner	NYM	Tommy John surgery (9/10/08)	September	Continues to rehab and still aiming for return in the final month of the season or earlier

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.