Stars on the Shelf: TheFantasyFix.com’s Week 10 DL Report
Here is TheFantasyFix.com’s week ten update on all notable injured players. Here you will find an update on a player’s progress as well as my spin on their expected return dates and fantasy impact upon return. The players are listed by expected return date.
The big addition this week is Bryce Harper. Harper came out of the gate white hot this season but his aggressive play got the best of him. He is off to visit Dr. James Andrews to see how bad his knee is, and fantasy owners, and I think baseball in general hope its not serious. He is one of the most exciting players to watch right now.
NEW ON THE SHELF: Bryce Harper, Stephen Strasburg, Jake Peavy, Rafael Betancourt, Asdrubal Cabrera, Huston Street, Johnny Cueto, Carl Crawford, Brandon Morrow, Marco Estrada. Mitch Moreland
BACK IN ACTION: Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson, Alexi Ogando, Jayson Werth, Cameron Maybin
| PLAYER | EXPECTED RETURN DATE | LATEST UPDATE |
|---|---|---|
| Shane Victorino | 6/11/2013 | The flying Hawaiin has had a rough year so far in 2013. The Sox want him to play in at least three rehab games to prove he’s ready to go before he’s activated. |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 6/11/2013 | Stanton has finally started playing in rehab games, but has yet to play the outfield. I would imagine that he will this weekend barring any setbacks. If all goes well, regardless of what he does at the plate he can be back as early as Monday or Tuesday. Good news for fantasy owners, just hope his legs stay healthy for the rest of the season and he starts giving you serious power. |
| Austin Jackson | 6/12/2013 | AJax’s return is taking longer than anticipated. He is being eased back, and has started shagging fly balls and light running. He will test out his legs again this weekend and if all goes well can go on a rehab assignment with the hopes of returning in a week. |
| Huston Street | 6/16/2013 | Street hit the DL with a strained calf, similar to what sidelined him last season. Gregerson takes over here at closer for the Padres, but Street shouldn’t be gone long as long as it isn’t ultra-serious. He could be back as soon as 10 days from now. |
| Brandon Morrow | 6/14/2013 | Morrow, out with a forearm strain, could return in two weeks from the disabled list if there are no setbacks. Morrow is the Jekyll and Hyde of pitchers. he either gives your fantasy team 7-8 innings with 11 strikeouts or gets bounced after 2 innings getting torched for 9 runs. Certainly one of the more frustrating pitchers to own, and should be used as a matchup pitcher. I never understood why he is annually ranked so high. |
| Stephen Strasburg | 6/16/2013 | Strasburg is already set to throw a simulated game on Tuesday after having already thrown this week. If that goes well he could come off the DL and make his start on the 16th. |
| Rafael Betancourt | 6/17/2013 | Betancourt has reaggravated the groin injury that he has been dealing with all year. It should only be a minimum stay on the DL though, so he should be back in about 10 days or so hopefully. |
| Chris Perez | 6/17/2013 | Perez was charged with a 4th degree misdemeanor for possession of marijuana. Aside from that there isn’t much for updates with his return from his shoulder injury. He was slated to throw either today or tomorrow but that may have been thrown off by his Cheech impression. Based on the fact that he has yet to begin throwing still puts him a little ways off. Best case scenario is still 10 days or so. |
| Ian Kinsler | 6/17/2013 | Kinsler is feeling better and is able to do some rotation movement which is a good sign. He hasn’t taken swings yet, but once he is cleared I’d imagine he’d go through a few days of BP to test out soreness/recovery, and then a rehab assigment, so the latter end of the middle of the month still seems realistic to me. |
| David Price | 6/17/2013 | Price is throwing his first bullpen today (6/7) since he hit the DL. If all goes well I would imagine one more of those to follow then a short rehab assignment. If there are no setbacks I think mid-month still is a decent target date for his return. |
| Marco Estrada | 6/18/2013 | Estrada, out with a strained hamstring, could return when first eligible mid-month barring any setbacks. |
| Brandon Beachy | 6/18/2013 | Beachy had trouble in his last rehab start in terms of getting “loose”. This doesn’t seem like anything serious at all. I see him still set to return around the 18th, but the question remains is do the Braves automatically give him a spot in the rotation being that the current group of guys are doing so well. It may be something he has to earn but we’ll see. When he went down last year he was without question their best pitcher. Keep your eye on this. |
| Mitch Moreland | 6/21/2013 | Moreland tweaked his hamstring and was immediately removed from the game. He was not limping when he came off the field so it does appear to be the lowest level of strain. The Rangers seem confident he can come back after the initial 15 day stint. He has been very impressive this year, way out-performing his pre-season ranking so far. |
| Brett Lawrie | 6/21/2013 | Lawrie’s high ankle sprain has not improved at all. Until the swelling subsides and it heals to the point where he can run, field grounders, or swing a bat, there is no way to determine his return. I have pushed it back another week to the third week in June. So far Lawrie has been a monumental bust this year, and is the starting third baseman for my “All Bust Team”. |
| Matt Kemp | 6/21/2013 | Kemp could start playing in rehab games towards the end of the Dodgers current home stand. If all goes well he could be activated a week from today, which would be Friday 6/14. No guarantees there, but I’m sure he’s itching to get back to reclaim his place as Dodgers top guy as Yasiel Puig is lighting it up right now. |
| Adam Eaton | 6/21/2013 | I have heard no news on Eaton, and sometimes no news is good news. Still sticking with two weeks from now until I hear differently. |
| JJ Putz | 6/21/2013 | Putz is going to throw off of a mound on Saturday (6/8). He could return in two weeks to the DBacks rotation. Heath Bell has done well in his place so the question is, does he get his job back automatically? Does he have to earn it back? That remains to be seen, but the good news is, he should be back in around 2 weeks to help us answer that question. |
| Jose Reyes | 6/25/2013 | Reyes is running, and reaching a point where they will test to see if he can run full speed on back to back days without issue. He is still probably 10 days or so away from a rehab assignment, which would likely consist of playing in back to back games. Late June is still the best bet for Reyes, but just be weary and don’t be shocked if this isn’t his last DL trip of the season. |
| Aaron Hill | 6/25/2013 | Hill claims he is ready to face pitchers although his hand isn’t “perfect”. Sounds like he is rushing it back but they don’t seem to be stopping him. I figure once he gets through some live BP and gets off to a rehab assignment, he could be back in 2-3 weeks. I think Hill was overrated coming in to the season, but there’s no doubt owners want him back as soon as possible. |
| Corey Hart | 6/30/2013 | The slow recovery of Hart is sounding more and more like it is within his own head. There are no reports of problems with the knees, but moreso with his hesitation to run and bring himself up to full game speed. He can start a rehab assignment whenever he’s ready. The more time passes the more this perplexes me. I will leave it at the end of June for a return but there is literally no updates on this guy. The Brewers could use him back as they are currently one of the worst teams in the AL. |
| Carl Crawford | 7/1/2013 | The could change the name from the “disabled list” to the “Crawford List” at this point. It is getting ridiculous with how often Crawford gets hurt these past few seasons. Don Mattingly is convinced he will miss more than the initial 15 days, and it could be anywhere up to a month. You have to expect the worst when it comes to Carl Crawford and injuries, but I will put his return date at the start of July, in a tone of optimism. |
| Asdrubal Cabrera | 7/1/2013 | Cabrera pulled his quad running to first base and looked like he was in a great deal of pain. His manager Terry Francona said after post-game tests they are thinking it could take upwards of a month for him to get back in action. |
| Michael Pineda | 7/1/2013 | Pineda is set to embark on a rehab assignment, and based on what GM Brian Cashman has said, they may very well use a full 30 days for it to see how he is performing. Cashman bluntly said that after five or six starts if he is performing better than what they have in the rotation he will come up, if not, he will stay down. He would be ready to join the rotation by early July, but if he does is something we’ll have to wait and see. My guess is he will though, the back end of that rotation is not exactly the Atlanta Braves right now. |
| Chase Utley | 7/1/2013 | The Phillies GM “mid-month” return guesstimate is looking impossible at this point. When you read the phrase “there is no timetable for his return” it means just that. Utley is on the back-9 and is oft-injured. He is easily one of the most frustrating players to own in fantasy baseball, top second baseman with power, but a major injury risk annually. He hasn’t played more than 115 games since 2009. I am being nice when I have him returning on July 1st, that is a 100% guess. Could be longer. |
| Johnny Cueto | 7/5/2013 | Deja Vu. Cueto is back on the shelf after a brief return to the Reds rotation. He is out again with another lat injury, so either he wasn’t ready or just simply re-injured it. I have to set the timetable at a month because that’s what it took last time. Cingrani is likely to get the call again to replace him until he returns. It could be longer than a month, I wouldn’t be shocked if the Reds held him out longer being that it’s the second time with the same injury, so the All Star Break could be a reality. |
| Curtis Granderson | 7/5/2013 | Granderson had surgery on his broken pinky, but the timeframe is apparently still the same. He could return the first week in July, or if the Yanks are playing well they could go the conservative route and hold him off until the break. I am leaning towards before the break though. It is likely Granderson’s final year with the Yankees as he hits free agency after the season, so he will want to do some damage with the bat to get the best contract possible. He should pay off nicely for patient owners upon his return. |
| Ryan Vogelsong | 7/5/2013 | No updates since the cast was removed. Once we hear he has started throwing we can gauge a return date. I am still confident he can be back before the All Star Game but we really wont know until we hear some sort of throwing update. He will have his rotation spot when he returns though. |
| Jake Peavy | 7/17/2013 | Peavy has returned to a familiar place, the DL. Peavy has a rib fracture and is out 4-6 weeks, and he has no capital built with me to say he’ll be back on the shorter end of that scale which has me setting the All-Star Break at his expected return date. Peavy has spent a lot of time on the DL in his career so owners shouldn’t be shocked about this. |
| Colby Lewis | 7/17/2013 | Lewis was transferred to the 60-Day DL just for roster flexibility for the Rangers. I still think he will be back around the All Star Break as he is slated to start throwing in a couple of weeks. |
| Alex Rodriguez | 7/17/2013 | ARod is grabbing headlines due to this biogenesis story. Anything pertaining to this has no effect on his return this season, as any suspensions coming down from MLB will be met with appeals which would take months, well beyond the fantasy season is over. Arod is still slated to return around the All Star Game, and how he is utilized by the Yankees or how effective he will be is anyone’s guess. He is more of a name than anything at this point. |
| Derek Jeter | 8/1/2013 | Jeter is flying back to NC to get another scan done on his ankle to check it’s progress. It is at this time that we will be able to determine when he may actually return. Even if he gets a good prognosis I still think he is a long way from returning. I am sticking with the August 1st return date until I see something that shocks be to pre-date it. Jeter should be an effective offensive player upon his return, and with SS being a shallow fantasy position he’s worth giving a shot. |
| Ryan Ludwick | 8/15/2013 | Ludwick, in a refreshing candid statement said that any story or rumor if him returning in July is a “lie” and that he wont even be able to do anything baseball related until early-mid July. He personally doesn’t think he’ll be back until mid-August. For fantasy purposes, he is droppable in most if not all formats aside from 16+ team leagues with available DL slots, and even then I dont know. I appreciate his honesty, most players play those things close to the vest. |
| Bryce Harper | UNKNOWN | Harper is on the DL with bursitis in his knee. He has tried light exercises which made the swelling worse. He has turned down a cortisone shot, and is now set to see the famous Dr. James Andrews to evaulate it. The word surgery was floated out there as a last resort, but as a baseball fan I hope that’s not the case. He is the most exciting player to watch in my opinion and I hope he gets back in the mix sooner than later. But as of now, there are just too many question marks to put any kind of return date out there for him. Just hope for the best. |
| Josh Beckett | UNKNOWN | Beckett tried throwing again and due to discomfort has now been shut down for at least a month, which means a best case return date is late July. There is a chance he will need surgery which would end his season. At this point though if you are relying on Josh Beckett for your fantasy team’s success, you have bigger problems. Beckett is confident he can return this season but that is truly up in the air. |
| Brett Anderson | UNKNOWN | Anderson cannot put pressure on his foot and is set for another scan of the foot on Friday the 14th. He is currently throwing to maintain his arm strength. There is no way to even guess when he will return. At this point I have read the phrase “avoid surgery” so that’s a red flag. But that doesn’t mean he will have surgery, just means it appears it could come to that if things don’t improve within the next two weeks. |
| Cory Luebke | UNKNOWN | Luebke had another setback (second this month) and had his throwing program shut down. The All Star Break timetable is now very unlikely. Stashing him at this point seems pointless for this season in a re-draft league. There is really no way to tell when he will be back, if at all. |
| Chris Carpenter | UNKNOWN | Carpenter threw over 20 pitches with hitters standing in yesterday. The Cardinals have stated they are taking it as slow as possible with him, especially considering if they got one inning from him it would be more than initially expected this season. He could be back aroudn the All Star Break, in what role I am not sure. It could very well be bullpen, especially for the post-season, where he could certainly help out in a Jason Motte-less pen. |
| Daniel Hudson | UNKNOWN – OUT INDEFINITELY | Hudson re-tore his UCL on 6/4. The DBacks are exploring all medical options but this is obviously the worst news possible. Sounds like his season could be toast. Awful news for Hudson, hope for the best for him. |
| Ryan Madson | UNKNOWN – OUT INDEFINITELY | Madson had yet another setback, feeling soreness once again in his surgically repaired elbow. He is offically completely shut down. Ernesto Frieri owners are happy, as his job security just got that much better. I think Madson’s season could be a lost cause at this point. This is his third setback with pain in that elbow. I wish him all the best in a comeback. |
| Matt Harrison | UNKNOWN – OUT INDEFINITELY | Harrison was just moved to the shelf’s shelf, the 60-Day DL, to help the Rangers with roster move flexibility. He is still out for at least 2 more months. He could be back in August, but its extremely hard to estimate. He has little fantasy value for the remainder of 2013 in my opinion. |
| Roy Halladay | UNKNOWN – OUT INDEFINITELY | Halladay’s on the 60-day DL. He could be back for the last month of the season, but thats impossible to determine until he starts some form of throwing after he rehabs post-surgery. Based on how he has pitched this year, his age, and the surgery, his fantasy value for this season is very low. |
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