Week 7 MLB Injury News and Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler O'Neill, Willy Adames

The month of May is almost over.  At this point, most fantasy players have a good idea of how their fantasy is doing in their respective leagues. If you are near the top, you try to stay there. If you are at the bottom, you hope your guys can turn it around or look to make a big trade (for this year or next). If you are in the middle, take a look at your standings and see where you could gain ground. Knowing when injured players are coming back or how long they will be out for is key to your success from now to the end of the season. Planning your pickups, trades and drops may be based solely on how to fill the holes in your team that are there due to injured players. Injuries, like every year, continue to be an issue for many Major League Baseball teams as well as your fantasy team. I will continue to highlight players on the IL with their hopeful return timeframe and the next man up.

A little about myself for new readers: My name is Reuven Guy and I am a practicing orthopedic/pain management Physician Assistant. I have been dealing with sports injuries for the past 16+ years and have a knowledge of orthopedic injuries and their recovery times based on my medical experience. I have also been playing fantasy baseball during that same time period, which has helped me get an advantage in this aspect of fantasy baseball, which I hope to share with you.

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MLB Injury List Update

Of note for all the fantasy baseball injury news is what type of IL the players are being placed on. Besides the regular IL for injuries, there is also a COVID IL. There continues to be an uptick of players placed on this list. COVID positive coaches even forced the postponement of a game between the Guardians and White Sox earlier this week.  Vaccinated players with close contacts have no minimum stay, which could frustrate fantasy owners everywhere. Non-vaccinated players still need to stay 7-10 days on the IL, at minimum.  The current MLB IL is now at 15 days.

One can learn a lot about the players' current injury based on which IL they get put on. Teams will be placing injured players on the 60-day IL to create for themselves more roster flexibility as those players do not count against the active 40-man rosters. More importantly, if a player is hurt and is placed on the 15-day IL, the team then believes that the player will be back sooner than the 60 days or mid-June.

Also of interest, MLB will allow rosters to have 14 pitchers on their active rosters through May 29, and then the limit of 13 pitchers will take effect. This will go into the thinking of Major League teams when calling up players for injured ones. When picking up and dropping players, keep that in mind.

Injured Hitters for Fantasy Baseball

Bryce Harper (OF, PHI)- Elbow: Harper was diagnosed with a “small tear” in his UCL in his throwing arm. He is unable to throw for the next few weeks but he continues to DH. He may miss intermittent games due to flare ups, as he did this past week missing four games in a row. He did have a PRP injury performed last week and was given some time off after the injection. Ultimately, he may require Tommy John surgery for his elbow, but Harper will continue to play through the injury as long as he can thanks to the universal DH. UPDATE: On Saturday morning, it was announced that Harper would return to the lineup on Saturday.

Salvador Perez (C, KC)- Finger: Perez was placed on the IL with a sprained left thumb. Severity is not known. It's unclear exactly how long Perez will be out as he continues to be evaluated, though he'll be eligible to be activated May 28. MJ Melendez should fill in for the Royals

Jeremy Pena (SS, HOU)- Knee: Pena continues to have some soreness in his right knee. He missed a few games this past week and will continue to try to play through this injury. 

Tyler O'Neill (OF, STL)- Shoulder: O’Neill was placed on the IL while dealing with a right shoulder impingement. Severity or length of time on the IL that may be needed is not yet known. Nolan Gorman was called up. Tommy Edman will slide over to shortstop and until O’Neill is able to come back, Brendan Donovan, Juan Yepez and Corey Dickerson should be in the mix for playing time in the outfield for the Cardinals. 

Kris Bryant (OF, COL)- Back: Bryant is on the IL with a back injury. He was expected to return to the Rockies lineup this past Friday as long as he had no setbacks in his rehab. UPDATE: On Saturday morning, Kris Bryant was activated from the IL.

Jonathan India (SS, CIN)- Hamstring: India landed back on the IL this week with the same injury that landed him on the injured list earlier this year. India will be re-evaluated this coming Monday at which time he may be sent on a rehab assignment.

Nick Madrigal (2B, CHC)- Back: Madrigal was placed on the IL with lower-back tightness. There is still no timetable for his return. Ildemaro Varga could see more playing time.

Mitch Garver (C,TEX)- Elbow: Garver was placed on the IL with a flexor sprain. He began a rehab assignment this week and was activated, but he has lost his starting job to Jonah Heim.

Kevin Newman (2B, PIT)- Groin: Newman has been out on the IL with a groin injury. He began a rehab assignment this week and could be activated as early as May 20.

Ryan Mountcastle (OF, BAL)- Wrist: The Orioles placed Ryan Mountcastle on the with a left wrist forearm strain, retroactive to May 11. He checked out fine after swinging in the batting cage and could be activated from the IL as early as May 21. 

James McCann (C, NYM)- Wrist: McCann was diagnosed with a fractured hamate in his left wrist and had subsequent surgery. He should be out for about six weeks. Patrick Mazeika and Tomas Nido will fill in behind the plate with McCann out.

Nico Hoerner (2B, CHC)- Ankle: Hoerner was placed on the IL with a sprained right ankle. He has already been cleared for baseball activities, which bodes well for a short time on the IL. Andrelton Simmons has filled in for him for the Cubs. 

Willy Adames (SS, MIL)- Ankle: Adames was placed on the IL with a high left ankle sprain. He injured it sliding into home on a sacrifice fly. Severity is not fully known, but the Brewers did it retroactively to May 16, which means they have hope he will return sooner than later.  Luis Urias is expected to take over as the everyday shortstop for the Brewers with Jace Peterson and Mike Brosseau platooning at third.

Kyle Lewis (OF, SEA)- Knee: Lewis has been on the IL after having knee surgery last year. The Mariners are expected to activate him this coming Monday and he may get a lot of playing time with Mitch Haniger out. 

Riley Greene (OF, DET)- Foot: Greene played in an intra-squad game at the Tigers spring training facility today and was moving "niftily" in his first at-bat. Greene has been on the IL following a foot fracture in spring training. He will now have to begin spring training all over again with him probably being about to be activated in about four week.

Injured Starting Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball

Jacob deGrom (SP, NYM)- Shoulder: deGrom was placed on the IL with a stress reaction in his right scapula.  deGrom had another MRI which showed more healing and he is now ramping up baseball activities. 

Max Scherzer (SP, NYM)- Oblique: Scherzer took himself out of his last start when he felt a “zing” on his left side. He has a moderate to high grade sprain and could miss 6-8 weeks. David Peterson was scratched from his most recent minor league which may mean he will fill in for the injured Scherzer.

Tylor Megill (SP, NYM)- Biceps: Megill was placed on the IL with biceps tendonitis, based on MRI. He will be shut down from throwing for a few days before being re-evaluated. Trevor Williams took his spot in the Mets rotation.

Clayton Kershaw (SP, LAD)- Back: Kershaw was placed on the IL with right SI joint inflammation. Kershaw was scheduled to throw a bullpen session this week but did not has he continues to experience discomfort following a recent epidural injection. Kershaw has had a back issue in the past which has responded to these injections. No word on the next step in his recovery process or how long he will be out for. The latest report said that Kershaw is  likely "a couple weeks away" from throwing a bullpen session.

Chris Paddack (SP,MIN)- Elbow: Paddack was placed on the IL this week with an elbow injury. Paddack had Tommy John surgery and is done for the year. 

Lance Lynn (SP, CHW)- Knee: Lynn is on the IL following knee surgery. His rehab is going well and Lynn is targeting a return in early June. He has been throwing off a mound and is close to throwing against live hitters. The earliest he could be activated is June 6.

Andrew Heaney (SP, LAD)- Shoulder: Heaney was placed on IL with shoulder soreness. Heaney threw a 15 pitch bullpen session this week. He has been building up his strength/stamina and will then be sent on a rehab assignment.  

Matt Manning (SP, DET)- Shoulder: Manning was placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation. Manning left his third rehab start with an apparent injury/setback. This was not due to a physical injury but nonetheless it limited his last rehab start.  He is scheduled to make another rehab start.

Cole Irvin (SP, OAK)- Shoulder: Irvin is on the IL with left shoulder soreness. He has completed a rehab assignment and is waiting to be activated from the IL.

Casey Mize (SP, DET)- Elbow: Mize is on the IL with a medial collateral sprain or golfers elbow. Mize had his first rehab game this past week and will need at least one more before he is activated. The Tigers now say that he will return to Lakeland to slow down his rehab program. There is no word about an injury setback.

Eduardo Rodriguez (SP, DET)- Side: Rodriguez has been placed on the IL with left side discomfort. Severity is not yet known.

Jake Odorizzi (SP, HOU)- Ankle: Odorizzi was placed on the IL after his right ankle/foot gave out on him running to cover first base. At first it was thought that an Achilles injury was the issue, but his recent MRI revealed some strains and sprains to the ligaments of his right foot/ankle. There is no timeline for his return. No replacement has yet been made his rotation spot in Houston.

Nick Lodolo (SP, CIN)- Back: Lodolo was placed on the IL with a lower-back strain. Lodolo was able to play catch but has again been shut down for a week. There is no timeline for his return at this time.  

Anthony DeSclafani (SP, SF)- Ankle: Desclafani was placed on the IL with right ankle inflammation. DeSclafani visited an ankle specialist and underwent an MRI, but the test didn't reveal anything more than the inflammation. He began playing catch this week and has no clear timeline for his return yet. He was transferred to the 60 day IL and is not eligible to return until June 21.

Luis Gil (SP, NYY)- Forearm: Gil left his last Triple-A start after throwing a slider with diminished velocity and then pointed to his forearm. He will have further testing to determine the severity of the injury. 

Injured Relief Pitchers for Fantasy Baseball

Jake McGee (RP, SF)- Back: McGee was placed on the IL with lower-back tightness. He began a rehab assignment and pitched a perfect inning. He should need at least two more rehab appearances and the earliest he could be activated from the IL is May 26.

Lucas Sims (RP, CIN)- Back: Sims was placed on the IL today with low back spasms, retroactive to May 11. He was diagnosed with a bulging disc in his back. There is no timeline for his return.  Sims has yet to resume a throwing program and won't return from the IL when he is first eligible on May 26. Art Warren, Tony Santillan and Hunter Strickland are in the mix for the closer role for the Reds.

Ken Giles (RP, SEA)- Finger: Giles is on the IL after a right middle finger tendon injury, which occurred in spring training. He had Tommy John surgery in October of 2020. Mariners manager Scott Servais said that Giles has yet yet to begin throwing off a mound. He was cleared to start a throwing program in late April. Giles is still focused on increasing his throwing distance and intensity off flat ground before advancing to mound work. 

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