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As the 2021 MLB season enters its final month, many players are being shut down due to injury and innings limits. Injured players are beginning to run out of time to come back from the IL. Knowing injury timelines is an extremely crucial part of the fantasy baseball season. Being able to know which players could be dropped and which should be kept is very tricky this time of year. I will continue to highlight players on the IL with their hopeful return time frame. Some teams do not give us enough information to have a solid time frame for returning injured players.
During September, starting pitchers returning from injuries will not necessarily have the same timeline to return as do everyday players. One reason for this is that minor league seasons start to come to an end. Most commonly, players coming back from injuries require rehab stints in the minors prior to activation from the IL. Pitchers coming back from injury usually have a few rehab assignment starts prior to being activated from the IL. This trend should change as teams are thinking about possibly having these starters rehab in the majors and act as their openers or long men to help speed up this process.
Let's take a look at the latest injury breakdown as we enter Week 25 of the 2021 fantasy baseball season.
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Injured Players - New Listings
Jameson Taillon- (SP, NYY)- Ankle- Taillon was placed on the IL with what the Yankees are calling a right ankle tendon injury. Taillon has a partially torn tendon in his ankle. No word on which tendon was partially torn. He will be in a walking boot for a few days and has had a PRP injection. The Yankees are hopeful that Taillon can return this season and maybe only missing one start.
Willy Adames- (SS, MIL)- Quad- Adames was placed on the IL with a left quad strain. Adames hit in the batting cage this week and said that he may not be 100% recovered until the offseason. No word on when he could come off of the IL.
Randy Dobnak- (SP, MIN)- Finger- Dobnak was placed on the IL this week with a right middle finger strain. It occurred while playing catch following his bullpen session prior to his start. Severity is not yet known and whether this injury could end him season early. Andrew Albers was called up.
Jesus Aguilar- (1B, MIA)- Knee- Aguilar was placed on the Il this week with left knee inflammation. Severity is not yet known and it was called a "sore knee" prior to his placement to the IL. Joe Panik and Lewin Diaz could fill in at first base for the Marlins.
Connor Joe- (OF, COL)- Hamstring- Joe was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain. He has received a PRP injection and is hopeful to return this year.
A.J. Pollock- (OF, LAD)- Hamstring- Pollock was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain Sunday. Manager Dave Roberts revealed after last Saturday's game that Pollock would miss two to three weeks due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Chris Taylor will serve as the primary left fielder and Billy McKinney should see more playing time as well.
Alex Dickerson- (OF, SF)- Hamstring- Dickerson was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain. Severity is not known but he has already begun to work out again. If all goes well, he may start a rehab assignment next week.
Brandon Nimmo- (OF, NYM)- Hamstring- Nimmo was placed on the IL with a right hamstring strain between games of a doubleheader. Nimmo said his week that he is ahead of schedule in his recovery and is trending toward a relatively brief absence.
Injured Players - Updates
Clayton Kershaw- (SP, LAD)- Forearm- Kershaw has been on the IL since early July with a left forearm strain. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said this week that Kershaw is expected to rejoin their starting rotation early next week.
Lucas Giolito- (SP, CHW)- Hamstring- Giolito has been on the IL with a strained left hamstring. Manager Tony La Russa is hopeful that Giolito will be able to start this coming Tuesday.
Lance Lynn- (SP, CHW)- Knee- Lynn was placed on the IL with right knee inflammation. It was not thought to be that serious and he is scheduled to come off the IL. It was reported that he would miss only one start and is scheduled to return from the IL over the weekend.
Zack Britton- (RP, NYY)- Elbow- Britton was placed on the IL with a right elbow injury. He had a right UCL reconstruction and repair (Tommy John surgery) and a bone chip was removed. He is done for the season and next season as well.
Jacob deGrom- (SP, NYM)- Elbow/forearm- deGrom was placed on the IL with an elbow/forearm inflammation for the past few months. deGrom threw earlier this week and if all goes well, he will be throwing from a mound early-to-mid next week. There is still no timeline for his return.
Jesse Winker- (OF, CIN): Winker was placed on the IL with an intercostal strain. Winker has since begun throwing and swinging. The earliest he could begin a rehab assignment is this weekend.
Mike Trout- (OF, LAA): Trout has been on the IL with a calf strain. Trout has taken batting practice and participated in on-field activities prior to games. Trout hasn't given up on playing again this season, but he is still rehabbing and is unlikely to return, per MLB.com.
Tim Anderson- (SS, CHW): Anderson was placed on the IL with a left hamstring strain, retroactive to Aug. 29. Anderson took batting practice, has done some straight-line running and took grounders this week. He is trending in the right direction for activation from the IL. No word yet as to whether he will require a rehab stint.
Johnny Cueto- (SP, SF): Cueto was placed on the IL this week with a strained right elbow. Manager Gabe Kapler said this past Wednesday that Cueto will not throw for at least another ten days. With this timeline, it is almost certain that he will not be able to return as a starter during the regular season.
Wilmer Flores- (2B, SF): Flores has been placed on the IL with a strained left hamstring. It was originally called hamstring tightness. Flores could be activated from the IL as early as Sunday.
Zach Eflin- (SP, PHI)- Knee- Eflin is on the IL with a right knee injury. Eflin was scheduled to undergo surgery this past Friday to repair the patellar tendon in his right knee and is expected to require six to eight-month recovery time. This is Eflin's second on the knee in less than five years. Eflin will more than likely start the 2022 season on the IL.
Chris Bassitt- (SP, OAK)- Face- Bassitt is on the IL recovering from facial surgery after he was hit in the head with a line drive. Bassitt threw off flat ground earlier this week and will throw a bullpen session Saturday. Bassitt said he felt "fantastic" afterward but is not sure how many bullpen sessions he will require before he is able to face live hitters. He is not expected to return this year.
Dylan Bundy- (SP, LAA)- Shoulder- Bundy is on the IL with a right shoulder strain. Bundy threw a bullpen session this week and expects to return this season. "We haven't gotten that far, as far as how many pitches I need to get up to or whatnot, but I'm very confident that before the season is over I'll be back out there at some point," Bundy said. His bullpen session was only fastballs and even if Bundy does come back, there is not much time for him to build up enough for prolonged starts when he comes back.
Jake Rogers- (C, DET)- Forearm- Rogers is on the IL with a forearm strain. He underwent successful Tommy John surgery this past Wednesday. Rogers is done for this year and most of next year. Recovery time for position players returning from Tommy John surgery is close to eight to ten months.
Kyle Lewis- (OF, SEA)- Knee- Lewis has been on the IL with a right knee bone bruise. Lewis has been shut down for the rest of the 2021 season.
Mitch Garver- (C, MIN)- Back- Garver has been on the IL since late August with a lower back strain. He has begun playing catch but there is still no timetable for his return. Ryan Jeffers and Ben Rortvedt should continue to see time behind the plate in his absence for the Twins.
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