Stars on the Shelf: TheFantasyFix.com’s Week 18 DL Report
Here is TheFantasyFix.com’s week eighteen update on all notable injured players, right here in one spot. 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 Carlos Gonzalez. CarGo is an elite player, but he hasn’t played more than 135 games in a season since 2010, and has yet to play a full season to date. He is out with a sprained finger.
NEW ON THE SHELF: Carlos Gonzalez, Derek Jeter, Salvador Perez, Rickie Weeks, Desmond Jennings, Bobby Parnell
BACK IN ACTION: Domonic Brown, Ryan Vogelsong, Josh Willingham, Jon Niese
| PLAYER | EXPECTED RETURN DATE | LATEST UPDATE |
|---|---|---|
| Aramis Ramirez | 8/13/2013 | Ramirez could be activated whenever the Brewers are ready but they are being cautious with their third baseman. I don’t know how cautious they want to be, being that they also just lost Rickie Weeks for probably four plus weeks. I think ARam will return next week sometime. The Brewers need somebody to swing a bat in that lineup. No Braun, no Hart, no Weeks, no ARam equals no runs. Carlos Gomez is a one man show. |
| Yadier Molina | 8/15/2013 | Molina is almost reaching the point of doing full force baseball activities. He is eligible to return on the 15th and he has no intention of playing in rehab games so he will likely be back then. |
| Alex Cobb | 8/15/2013 | Cobb was moved to the 60-Day DL and while that is a scary intiial sight for owners, it didn’t impede his progress. He should be back next Thursday with the Rays. |
| Salvador Perez | 8/16/2013 | Perez can come off the DL this weekend but the Royals are taking the conservative approach. It sounds like he could return in terms of his health, so my guess is they will push it a few days. He should be back barring some unforseen incident in about a week. |
| Rafael Betancourt | 8/16/2013 | Betancourt’s return has been slower than expected. He is supposed to throw a bullpen this weekend with hopes of a return to the Rockies in a week. His DL was for his appendix, so being that its not an arm issue the rehab shouldn’t be long at all. |
| Miguel Montero | 8/16/2013 | Montero said he should be able to return in a week, and he is alone in his optimism. Kirk Gibson doesn’t seem to agree and sees his DL stint stretching a bit longer than that. I am taking Montero at his word and saying he’ll be back next Friday, although the decision is not his to make, but I’m throwing it out there. |
| Yovani Gallardo | 8/16/2013 | Gallardo is making very solid progress and is slated to get back into the Brew Crew’s rotation next Friday. He has been a horrid disappointment when healthy this year, but perhaps like Rays ace David Price, this down time could serve as a restart for the talented pitcher. |
| Matt Moore | 8/17/2013 | Moore has been playing catch, but hasn’t hit the mound yet. If he is pain free this weekend he will throw a bullpen session, and it sounds as though if one or two of those go well he will forgo a rehab assignment and rejoin the Rays in about a week. The Rays are playing well and getting Cobb and Moore back will certainly add to that. |
| Desmond Jennings | 8/20/2013 | Jennings is out with a broken finger, but its apparently a slight fracture and he may be back as early as the 20th. |
| Derek Jeter | 8/28/2013 | In typical Jeter fashion he thinks he’ll be back sooner than everyone else expects. He is losing good faith here though considering this is his third separate leg related injury this year (ankle, quad, calf). I do think Jeter can be back before the end of the month, how he performs is another question. |
| Carlos Gonzalez | 8/28/2013 | Gonzalez finally succumbed to the DL after trying to play with a sprained finger. It’s unclear whether playing through it worsened his condition but he wont be back for another 2-3 weeks, the end of August sounds the most likely at this point. Gonzalez hasn’t played more than 135 games in a season since 2010, so he was due for some DL time if you go by track record. Between CarGo and Tulo there must be something with the thin air in CO taking these guys out annually. |
| Clay Buchholz | 8/28/2013 | Buchholz is throwing long toss, and incorporating all of his pitches during throwing sessions. He is 2 days away from hearing if he can get back on the bump or not. If he is cleared to do so, he will need a series of bullpen sessions, followed by throwing some live BP, then some rehab games. He likely wont be seen back in Boston until the end of August, and the trade for Jake Peavy reduces their urgency for their first-half ace to return earlier than necessary. |
| Jason Grilli | 8/28/2013 | Grilli is about set to start a throwing program soon. He and the Pirates are aiming at about three weeks for him to return. I personally think he will get his closer job back, even though Melancon has been a monster this year. A small market team probably could do without building a closer’s “resume” for two guys so I think they’ll put Melancon back in the 8th inning. If I was a Melancon owner I’d take that gamble and try to sell him in a trade now as a closer while he still is. |
| Angel Pagan | 9/1/2013 | For my entree I’ll have crow please. I had Pagan coming back mid-September as a possibility, with being shut down a likelihood. I was wrong. The Giants think he could return before Labor Day. I could see them giving him a decent amount of days off though, and I am just not convinced of much fantasy value coming from Pagan for the rest of 2013. |
| Johnny Cueto | 9/3/2013 | As of this past Sunday, Cueto has yet to start even throwing the baseball. This is obviously a terrible sign for fantasy owners. He is still at the very least around 4 weeks away, but its very difficult to determine this until he begins at least throwing. Cueto has been nothing short of an absolute fantasy bust this season and is well on his way to making my 2013 All-Bust Team. |
| Ryan Howard | 9/3/2013 | Howard isn’t even swinging a bat yet, and my earlier prognosis of a September return appears accurate. He is still likely a month away from returning and although they will deny it, the Phillies aren’t going anywhere this season. If Howard comes back healthy he can potentially help your team in your playoff run with some pop but I see Howard as a fading star, and he’s slipping into the status of being more of a name than anything. |
| Roy Halladay | 9/3/2013 | Halladay is close to facing hitters in his rehab from shoulder surgery. He has thrown successful bullpen sessions and could return in around 3 weeks if all goes well. A healthy, strong Halladay could certainly be a boost to any fantasy team. You have to give him the benefit of the doubt with his track record, regardless of his age and the surgery. He is worth a DL in your league if he is available. |
| Matt Kemp | 9/3/2013 | Kemp is progressing into activities at a snail crawl. The Dodgers are white hot right now without their “leader” so they are taking the conservative route back with him. He is still probably three or so weeks away from returning. Fantasy owners are owed a big pay day from Kemp in September after the injured/awful year he has put up so far. Beast mode, where art thou? |
| Ben Revere | 9/6/2013 | Revere is on crutches and about 4 weeks away from returning. Not to be harsh, but if you are relying on Revere to come back at that point in the season, it might be time to start researching your Fantasy Football drafts. |
| Rickie Weeks | 9/13/2013 | Weeks hamstring “popped” and he has hit the DL with a strain, one that seems to be pretty serious. He will be completely shut down for at least two weeks. Hamstring strains like this often take upwards of a month or more, so for fantasy purposes, and considering how awful he has been, Weeks has little to no value for your team if you even still own him. He is no longer a viable fantasy 2B in my opinion, after consecutive bad seasons. I also wouldn’t be shocked if the Brewers just decide to shut him down considering where they are at this point. |
| Albert Pujols | OUT INDEFINITELY – LIKELY OUT FOR SEASON | King Albert needs a new nickname, how about Dinged Albert. Pujols is in a walking boot for the next few weeks and the likelihood of him returning this season is slim in my eyes. This isn’t the Albert Pujols who returned from a broken wrist in two weeks a couple years back (that’s not an accusation of anything). Pujols has been a bust this season and his run as a first round fantasy draft pick has come to a permanent end. |
| Chris Carpenter | OUT INDEFINITELY – LIKELY OUT FOR SEASON | Carpenter is completely shut down. He is not even cleared to throw at all. he is probably not coming back this season, which wasn’t expected from the get-go. i wonder if he retires or tries a full on swan song comeback in 2014. I’d personally like to see him pitch again. |
| Bobby Parnell | UNKOWN-OUT INDEFINITELY | I think Bobby Parnell is likely done for the year. He is a herniated disk in his neck that is causing nerve issues through his arm. The Mets are going nowhere so to rush him back makes no sense. My guess is he will have surgery sooner than later so that he can be certain to be ready for the start of spring training next season. |
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