Stars on the Shelf: TheFantasyFix.com’s Week 7 DL Report
Here is TheFantasyFix.com’s week seven update on 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 here is David Price, who was just placed on the DL due to triceps-tightness. Like Johnny Cueto and Josh Johnson, he could miss anywhere up to a month with this type of injury.
NEW ON THE SHELF: Michael Cuddyer, Josh Reddick, Josh Beckett, David Price and Austin Jackson
ON THE FENCE: Bryce Harper
BACK IN ACTION: Curtis Granderson, Jayson Werth, Johnny Cueto, Zack Greinke
OUT FOR THE SEASON: Joel Hanrahan
| PLAYER | EXPECTED RETURN DATE | LATEST UPDATE |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Heyward | 5/17/2013 | Heyward could be activated Friday (5/17) but it sounds like he may get eased back into the lineup rather than thrown back in full time. |
| Andrew Bailey | 5/21/2013 | Bailey is throwing in a simulated game today and hopes to return after the 15-day DL minimum is over. He could be back early next week, which seems likely considering his replacement isn’t fairing very well. His injury history is a concern going forward. He is just simply not very reliable in that regard. |
| AJ Pierzynski | 5/21/2013 | The Rangers have been happy with what they’re hearing from AJ and feel that after a couple of successful, pain free rehab assignments he can get back to the team after the initial DL stint is over, much earlier than initially expected when there was no indication how long he would be dealing with the injury. |
| Matt Garza | 5/24/2013 | Garza is ready to return, its just a matter of who the Cubs move down to make room for him on the roster. They’ll certainly want to get him in the mix sooner than later to showcase him for a mid-season trade. He should be back in a week at most. |
| Michael Cuddyer | 5/24/2013 | Cuddyer hit the DL with a neck injury. He received a shot to subdue it and as of now he is expected back as soon as the 15 day DL stint is over |
| Austin Jackson | 5/28/2013 | Jackson was put on the DL with a minor hamstring strain. It sounds minor, considering it was said its the type of injury that could be played through, but the Tigers being cautious, and being that it had been lingering for more than a week, they decided to shut him down. he should be back by the end of the month for the Tigers and your team. |
| Kevin Youkilis | 5/28/2013 | Youkilis is doing basic hitting drills, like soft toss and things like that, to ease his back into the motion of swinging. His progress has been slow which indicates the epidural shot he received wasn’t as effective as it should have been. It still looks like he could be 10-14 days away, perhaps longer. He is currently down to 45% owned in Yahoo leagues, and with his injury history and ARod’s return looming in 7-8 weeks, I really wouldn’t bother with him anymore unless you are in a deep league and are reaching for a 3B later on. |
| Josh Johnson | 5/28/2013 | Johnson has been long tossing and needs to go on a rehab assignment once he feels his tricep is ready to handle the rigors of pitching at full speed from a mound. They are still targeting the end of the month, but The Jays would be wise to ease Johnson back, his injury track record is long and distinguished. |
| Josh Beckett | 5/31/2013 | Beckett was placed on the DL with a minor groin strain. It doesn’t sound serious, moreso cautious and a move that was probably easier to make considering how bad he has been pitching. This could be a mental breather for the right hander as well. He should be back once the 15 days are up. |
| Ryan Madson | 5/31/2013 | Madson is ready to go, The Angels don’t care what he thinks. So far the Angels haven’t had much to be positive about except their closer. Ernesto Frieri has 7 saves with a low ERA and 25Ks in 17 innings. So although Madson is ready to go, they don’t seem to be in a hurry and when he comes back it doesn’t appear he will be closing games soon, if at all this year. |
| Jered Weaver | 5/31/2013 | Weaver is ramping up his bullpen sessions and should go on a rehab assignment soon. If it was up to him he would have been back already. The intense Angels’ ace is supposedly supposed to make 2-3 rehab starts, but I wouldn’t be surprised if its a one and done scenario, taking into consideration his eagerness to get back, and the Angels obvious need for him. |
| Brett Anderson | 5/31/2013 | Anderson got torched in a double A rehab start, while feeling discomfort in his ankle. They will throw him out there for more rehab starts in hopes it is just normal soreness as he looks to rejoin the As hopefully in a couple of weeks. |
| Mark Teixeira | 5/31/2013 | Teixeira is optimistic about a “May 30/May 31” return, but he still needs to hit off live pitchers in BP, as well as rehab game at bats. That is two weeks away so it is possible. Either way it shouldn’t be much longer form that timeframe unless he reaggravates his wrist. |
| Colby Lewis | 5/31/2013 | Lewis felt soreness in his tricep, but apparently its minor and he is still on track. Lewis is recovering from Tommy John Surgery, and is making his first rehab assignment today. After a few turns through, once he gets his pitch count and endurance up, he could return to Texas before June. |
| Cameron Maybin | 6/1/2013 | Maybin has still yet to resume any baseball related activities. He was tentatively schedule to do so starting next week. If you don’t hear about that happening that means his wrist is still bothering him which isn’t good obviously. I can’t find out any new updates on him, so I am saying early June as a best guess here, that’s assuming all goes the right way. |
| Adam Eaton | 6/1/2013 | Eaton is finally set to play in the outfield Friday so the home stretch has arrived. He could be back in 1-2 weeks, so I’m keeping it at the latter for now. |
| Hanley Ramirez | 6/4/2013 | Ramirez may return on the early side of the 4-6 week timetable which could have him back the first week of June. Ramirez has had another disappointing year for fantasy owners, at the expense of more than one injury. He has only played in a handful of games and regardless of what he produces when he comes back (assuming he stays healthy for the rest of the season) he was a wasted pick as early as he went in the draft. Hopefully Ramirez owners can get some quality numbers from him in the second half to make up for it. |
| Corey Hart | 6/14/2013 | Hart’s rehab is taking longer than expected, and will extend beyond his 60 Day DL expiration date. Could be another month for Hart, unless there is a drastic change in his progression. He is merely doing light running at this point. |
| David Price | 6/15/2013 | Price left the game last night against Boston after trainers saw him shake his pitching arm. He left with what wound up being tricep-tightness. The same injury Cueto is just coming back from, and the same Josh Johnson went down with. The realistic timetable here is a month. He will miss several starts, and will certainly need rehab starts. I have him back mid-June. Hopefully when he returns, fantasy owners will see the David Price of old emerge. |
| Brandon Beachy | 6/15/2013 | Beachy is making his first rehab start Sunday, and is on pace to rejoin the Braves mid-June. He is still only owned in 28% of Yahoo leagues, so its possible he is still out there for you to stash on your DL for a couple weeks if you have the room. If back to his old-self Beachy is an ace quality pitcher. |
| Giancarlo Stanton | 6/15/2013 | Stanton has started hitting off of a tee and throwing, but running will be the key indicator of when he could come back. He still thinks he isn’t far off but hamstrings are tricky to predict. I think mid-June is the best case scenario. |
| Aaron Hill | 6/30/2013 | My pessimism about Hill’s return has some validity as his broken hand has still not healed. Hill has done nothing aside from light running and is far off from a return. He will well exceed the latter end of his initial 4-6 week return time. I am figuring the end of June, but if his hand continues to heal at this slow of a pace, we could possibly be waiting until the All-Star break. |
| Daniel Hudson | 7/1/2013 | Hudson has been relegated to bullpen sessions and has yet to be given the green light for any kind of rehab assignment. He is always sure to update fans via his twitter account, which is one of the more candid in baseball. He has had no soreness or set backs so early July is still the place to look on the calendar for his return. |
| Michael Pineda | 7/1/2013 | Cashman said if Pineda can throw 65-70 pitches in back to back outings they will green light him to go on a rehab assignment. He has been throwing all of his pitches and hitting upwards on 95mph on his fastball. it is not ridiculous to think he could return before the All-Star break. He is stash worthy if you have the open DL spot. A healthy Pineda could give you high strikeout numbers with a mid to high 3 ERA. |
| Ryan Ludwick | 7/5/2013 | Ludwick is on the 60-Day DL recovering from a torn labrum in his shoulder. The late round thumper should be back around the All-Star break, he may be available on your FA list if you are hurting for a UTIL/OF power spot upon his return. |
| Alex Rodriguez | 7/17/2013 | Rodriguez has started baseball activities in Tampa. He has begun hitting off of a tee, so he is currently hitting a first grade level (that was a joke, yes). Although he is ahead of projected timelines, the Yankees wont rush to bring him back so I still think we wont see the headline grabbing star until after the All-Star break. |
| Cory Luebke | 7/17/2013 | mid-July is still the target for Luebke’s return from Tommy John Surgery. He is stash-worthy if you have the open DL spot. When healthy the lefty is good for a low ERA and good strikeout numbers. |
| Jose Reyes | 7/17/2013 | Blue Jays GM said it wouldn’t surprise him if Reyes is back by he end of June. It wouldnt surprise me if he was back at the end of June and back on the DL a week later. Reyes’ long list of injuries isn’t quite in Brian Roberts territory, but its significant enough to not rely on him heavily in fantasy baseball. I stay away from him every year for this reason, enough so to write an article about it. I still stand with the All-Star break return date for the excitable shortstop. |
| Derek Jeter | 8/1/2013 | Jeter is doing light exercises as he rehabs from the second crack in his ankle. He is still in a walking boot and there is nothing on the horizon in terms of baseball related activity. If we see a 100% Jeter by August 1st I’ll be surprised. He seemed to have rushed himself back in spring training before the second fracture was identified so he probably has little say about his rehab this time around. |
| Joel Hanrahan | OUT FOR SEASON | Hanrahan had non-Tommy John elbow surgery that ended his 2013 season. Tommy John Surgery is also still a possibility for him. I wish Joel all the best to come back next season. |
| Josh Reddick | UNKNOWN | Reddick is on the DL with a wrist injury. He has been feeling better of late, but has yet to swing a bat. That is the real test as to whether he can rest and rehab it or if he needs surgery, which can put him out for several months. Stay tuned here. |
| Matt Harrison | UNKNOWN – OUT INDEFINITELY | Harrison is falling apart at the seams. Harrison had his second back surgery in two weeks and words being used to describe him pitching again this season are words like “hopeful”. Maybe a September return at best? |
| Roy Halladay | UNKNOWN – OUT INDEFINITELY | Doc Halladay had successful shoulder surgery and feels like he can “turn back the clock a couple years” upon his return, but his return should be doubted considering it was surgery on two areas of his shoulder and considering his age. He may return in September, and I wouldnt be surprised knowing his competitive nature, but I doubt it. |
| JJ Putz | UNKNOWN – OUT INDEFINITELY | Putz said he will try to return before the end fo the season. That wording alone screams that his 2013 is toast. He is ok to be dropped in all formats as Heath Bell has taken over as closer with David Hernandez waiting in the wings. |
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