Aaron Judge OF, Yankees: wrist fracture
Judge is set to miss at least three weeks after a HBP lead to a right wrist chip fracture. He won’t need surgery, but our analytics show that he should miss a lot more time (Optimal Recovery Time is 7 weeks). When he is cleared to return, his power won’t be at the same level right away. That can takes months and months to come back following a wrist injury.
Jose Altuve 2B, Astros: right knee injury
The Astros were forced to place Altuve on the DL for the first time in his career due to lingering knee pain. Altuve felt discomfort in his right knee last week, and team doctors believed a few weeks off would be best for his long-term health. Right now his Injury Risk is High, but the ORT for his injury is just two weeks. So while his injury numbers don’t look good right now, they should improve pretty quickly.
Corey Dickerson OF, Pirates: hamstring strain
Dickerson landed on the DL this week with a left hamstring strain, but the Pirates are hopeful that he can return after the minimum 10 days. Our Optimal Recovery Time is a bit longer at 2-3 weeks due to the highly recurrent nature of hamstring injuries. He is eligible to return on Saturday, but he should remain out through the following weekend to ensure that he doesn’t aggravate the hamstring by returning too soon. Dickerson hasn’t had any other injury concerns over the last three seasons, so his Injury Risk only moved to Elevated, not High.
Rafael Devers 2B, Red Sox: left hamstring strain
Just one week after Devers returned from the DL for a shoulder injury, and he landed back on the DL with a left hamstring strain. This one should keep him out for at least two weeks, but the Red Sox hope he can return sooner than that. For now he will remain an Elevated Injury Risk. Our analytics show an August 11 Healthy to Return Date if it’s mild.
Brandon Belt 1B, Giants: knee bone bruise
Belt hyperextended his left knee last week while beating out an infield single. This mechanism can cause anything from ligament damage to a bone bruise to a mild knee sprain. An MRI showed a bone bruise, which can take anywhere from 2-6 weeks to heal depending on the severity. He will be shut down for around a week, but it could be longer depending on how his knee responds. Right now we are showing a minimum two week Optimal Recovery Time and a High Injury Risk, but this one doesn’t sound like it will keep him out much longer than that. It’s also a positive that he avoided ligament damage.
Josh Bell 1B, Pirates: left oblique strain
Despite landing on the DL with an oblique strain, Bell’s injury numbers don’t look too bad. If he sits until August 11, our Healthy to Return Date, he should be back at a Low Injury Risk with close to a Peak Health Performance Factor. Oblique strains are notoriously tricky, so he does need to make sure that he is cautious as he starts to swing the bat again. If he feels the slightest pull or discomfort, he should shut things down for a few days.
Jake Lamb 3B, Diamondbacks: left shoulder injury
Jake Lamb has played in just 56 games this season, and even then he hasn’t looked fully healthy. Now an MRI showed “fraying” to his left rotator cuff, aka a partial tear. He should go ahead and shut things down and undergo surgery so he can be ready for the 2019 season. His HPF already dropped to Poor. If he does decide to try to return later this season after a month of rehab, his Injury Risk will remain High. This isn’t a good situation. By trying to play through it he can make the “fraying” worse or cause another injury due to overcompensating.
Ross Stripling SP, Dodgers: toe injury
Stripling has interesting injury numbers after landing on the DL with toe inflammation. While his Injury Risk remains Low, his HPF dropped to Below Average. That’s an indication that he won’t pitch well if he returns too soon from the DL, but he isn’t at a concerning risk of getting re-injured if he does try to pitch soon. Stripling has reportedly been pitching through the injury for a few weeks, which explains his poor numbers over his last few starts. We are showing an August 13 Healthy to Return Date, so his time on the DL shouldn’t be much longer than two weeks.
Johnny Cueto SP, Giants: UCL tear
Cueto is back on the DL after aggravating his elbow and is now facing season-ending Tommy John surgery. He already missed two months with an elbow sprain. There is damage to the UCL, which we knew could eventually lead to Tommy John surgery. Now he is unlikely to pitch at all in 2019. His velocity dropped over the last month and his numbers haven’t been good. Rehab and rest obviously didn’t work, so it was time to settle on surgery.
Carlos Martinez SP, Cardinals: right shoulder strain
Carlos Martinez’s return from the DL was short-lived. We warned that he was returning too soon from his oblique strain and his Injury Risk remained High, and sure enough he left his start early on Monday with a shoulder injury. Martinez already landed on the DL earlier this year with a shoulder strain. Scans showed that this one is mild, but throwing shoulder injuries are always a serious concern, especially when they are repeat injuries. Don’t be surprised if we don’t see Martinez again this season. If he does return to the rotation, his Injury Risk will remain very High (it is currently at 39%.)
Chris Sale SP, Red Sox: mild left shoulder inflammation
In a surprise move, the Red Sox placed Chris Sale on the DL with mild inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Sale was great in his last start Friday night, striking out 10 over six scoreless innings. The team hopes he will miss just one turn in the rotation, but our algorithm is showing a much longer three week Optimal Recovery Time. This is Sale’s first time on the DL since he missed the start of the 2015 season with a foot fracture. His throwing shoulder has never been an issue, although there have been concerns about his elbow in the past.
Steven Matz SP, Mets: left forearm tightness
Matz left his start earlier this week with tightness in his left forearm, often a sign of a more serious injury. He has been High Risk all year due to many concerning injuries throughout his career, including 2017 surgery to reposition the ulnar nerve, Tommy John surgery, a bone spur in his elbow, a neck injury and a partial lat tear. Scans showed no structural damage, but his season could still be over. Even though it is just tightness with no underlying cause, his Injury Risk will remain very High.
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