Stars on the Shelf: TheFantasyFix.com’s Week 20 DL Report
Here is TheFantasyFix.com’s week twenty 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 additions this week are Jose Bautista and Jason Heyward. Bautista is sidelined with a left hip bone bruise. He will likely miss up to two weeks, almost until the end of the fantasy regular season. Jason Heyward is likely done for the season. He broke his jaw after being hit in the face with a pitch and required surgery that inserted two plates.
NEW ON THE SHELF: Jose Bautista, Jason Heyward, Joe Mauer (7 – Day concussion DL)
BACK IN ACTION: Derek Jeter
KEEP YOUR EYE ON: Brandon Beachy (elbow)
OUT FOR THE SEASON: Albert Pujols, Jason Heyward
| PLAYER | EXPECTED RETURN DATE | LATEST UPDATE |
|---|---|---|
| Jose Bautista | 8/21/2013 | Bautista bruised his left hip against the Yankees this week and will miss around 2 more weeks. He should be back for your fantasy team’s playoff run if you are still in the mix. |
| Howie Kendrick | 8/27/2013 | Kendrick isn’t progressing as quickly as the Angels had hoped. He can’t play second base regularly yet and wont be able to return this week as initially expected. Early next week is possible if he can prove he can play in consecutive games without issue. The Angels season is all but lost so there really is no rush to bring him back before he is 100%. |
| Dan Uggla | 8/28/2013 | Uggla will return on Wednesday the 28th after a couple of “test the waters” rehab games post-lasik surgery. He may be able to spot a nickel across the room now but the strikeout totals will continue. |
| Joe Mauer | 8/30/2013 | Mauer is on the 7-day concussion related DL. It was reported that he is feeling a lot better in the last 48 hours, but a return time is hard to determine considering the Twins aren’t contending so there is no rush, and the simple fact that concussions are hard to gauge. He could come off the DL early next week but I doubt it. |
| Matt Moore | 8/31/2013 | Moore throw around 70 pitches in a bullpen session and is going to toss a simulated game this weekend. If that goes well without any issues in his elbow, he will return to the Rays in about a week or so. The Rays are fighting for the division so they will suerly need him back for the stretch run. The left-hander has turned in a nice season so far. |
| Roy Halladay | 8/31/2013 | Halladay will make his hext, and likely final rehab start, on Sunday in Double-A. From there he would be primed to rejoin the Phillies on Friday or Saturday for his first start back after surgery earlier this season. He has yet to touch 90 on the gun but there is no doubt fantasy owners who need pitchers should give the Doc a look if he is still available in your league. If he comes back anywhere close to his old form he can be a nice fantasy boost down the stretch over some free agent scrap pile pitcher you have plugged in currently. |
| Jason Grilli | 9/1/2013 | Grilli did well in his bullpen sessions yesterday (Thursday) and is probably a week or so away from returning. I am banking on him getting the closer role back. Clint Hurdle seems to be the loyal type of manager. Trade deadlines likely have come and gone in your league so you may be hanging on to Melancon for this strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP contribution before long. I hope you didn’t give up too much to trade for him. |
| Matt Kemp | 9/3/2013 | Kemp apparently raged hard partying in Miami with Lebron James along-side his new teammate Yasiel Puig. That is the biggest news we have heard on Kemp. He hasn’t been cleared for a rehab assignment yet so he is at the very least still over a week away. It is difficult to determine a return time until he plays in a rehab game, but I am setting Tuesday, September 3rd as a shot in the dark. Hopefully he can mash for you upon his return and make up for what has been an absolutely brutal, injury plagued season. |
| Carlos Gonzalez | 9/6/2013 | Gonzalez has still not swung a bat yet. Right now he is literally working on gripping a bat to test the strength in his strained finger, and check for pain. He is still at least 2 weeks away from returning to action. Owners have to hope he is ready to contribute for a playoff run because it doesn’t sound like he’ll be back for the rest of the fantasy regular season. |
| Clay Buchholz | 9/10/2013 | Buchholz is finally making a rehab start, which will happen on Sunday. He will throw around 3 innings and begin the march back to Boston. My guess is he will need to have three rehab games before returning, which on a 5 day rotational schedule should have him back with the Sox around the 10th of September. If he returns to the form he presented in the first half of the season he will be a major impact in fantasy playoff matchups for owners who have stared at that red “DL” next to his name. |
| Johnny Cueto | 9/10/2013 | Cueto has finally just started throwing. If you compare him to Buchholz (although different injury), he wont be back any time soon if at all this year. This of course is speaking from a fantasy perspective. I can see Cueto coming back by October for the Reds in the playoffs, but that does nothing for fantasy owners because your league trophy would have already been won by that point. At this point the earliest I could see Cueto coming back is the third week in September, but even that seems lofty. It looks like a lost fantasy season for Cueto. Clearly a big disappointment. |
| Jason Heyward | OUT FOR SEASON | Heyward took a nasty hit to the face from a pitch against the Mets. He broke his jaw and required surgery that placed two plates in his jaw. He will miss the rest of the regular season and could miss the playoffs as well. He is obviously done from a fantasy perspective for this year. |
| Albert Pujols | OUT FOR SEASON | As we expected Pujols’ season is over. he was banged up all year and didn’t come close to putting up typical Pujols numbers. Now we just wait until 2014 to see if he can bounce back. His days as a first round pick are behind him, its curious to see where Pujols slips in pre-season rankings, and when fantasy owners will snag him. My guess is earlier than they should, as some will without question hold out that glimmer of hope that another monster season is still in him. I don’t think so. |
| Ryan Howard | OUT INDEFINITELY – LIKELY OUT FOR SEASON | Teams like to play things close to the vest to protect their players, so when a GM says he doubts a player will return its probably close to a fact. Howard is hardly doing anything right now and the calendar is moving fast. They haven’t officially announced it, but Ryan Howard’s season is over. He is no longer an impact fantasy player in my eyes. |
| Bobby Parnell | OUT INDEFINITELY – LIKELY OUT FOR SEASON | Parnell was told if his condition doesn’t improve within the next couple of weeks he will need surgery. The word “hopeful” has been thrown around which I think is latin for “season’s over”. I don’t see Parnell coming back this year, so on to 2014 for the Mets closer who performed better than most people would have expected in the role. |
| David Wright | UNKNOWN | After rumors swirled about Wright being shut down for the season, the Mets’ captain came out and said he fully expects to be back this season. When is another question. With about 5 or so weeks to go, you have to figure if he plans to come back its probably mid-September. He has yet to start baseball activities, but he expressed he wont need rehab games, stressing that he “hasn’t forgotten how to play the game.” I can’t put a date on his return, but it sounds like he will be back, but it may only be relevant if you are in the playoff mix in your league. |
The Author
2 Comments
Picked up Kendrick in a trade (for Jennings) a few weeks prior to him getting injured, and grabbed Dozier to fill in. He’s been producing, and doesn’t seem to be cooling off (which I assumed he would). I also have Prado (currently slotted at SS). You think Kendrick is really worth holding onto (getting impatient)? Buchholz is still taking up my DL slot.
I should mention I am thinking of grabbing Bonafacio (SB) and already grabbed Murphy (HR), basically guys I can dump at anytime if something better comes around.
Buchholz will be back on Sept 4th, so what’s that 9 days? Kendrick is doing baseball related activities but the phrase “no timetable for return” is never fun to hear, especially with a knee injury. If having him clog your bench now is killing you and you are fighting for a playoff spot with this week’s matchup, you can look to add a different piece, but none of those you mentioned are game changers so I’d hold out. It really all depends on your status in your league right now, with likely 2 matchups left to go before playoffs. Good luck!