Ronald Acuna OF, Braves: elbow contusion
Acuna’s hot streak was put on a brief hold when the Marlins’ Jose Urena (intentionally) hit him with a 97 mph fastball with the first pitch on Wednesday night. After a benches-clearing brawl, Acuna tried to tough it out and stay in the game but was clearly uncomfortable. He was removed in the second and sent for an x-ray and CT scan. All scans were clean, so he is dealing with a contusion and should be considered day-to-day. Inside Injuries is showing a one week Optimal Recovery Time — he needs a few days to get the swelling under control and to allow the pain to subside.
James Paxton SP, Mariners: left forearm contusion
Paxton took a line drive to his left arm during his start Tuesday and landed on the DL with a contusion. X-rays were negative. He previously spent time on the DL with a back injury and was making his fourth start since being activated. This injury isn’t nearly as concerning and should force him to miss just one or two starts. The focus right now is on getting the swelling to subside, then the muscles in the forearm will calm down and he can pick up a baseball again. While this isn’t a serious injury, it is to his pitching arm, so it could lead to a slightly longer absence than might be expected.
Edwin Encarnacion 1B/DH, Indians: right hand contusion and biceps
The Indians were forced to place Encarnacion on the DL over the weekend when he was hit in the hand by a pitch. He is also dealing with some swelling to his biceps, so there are two injury concerns here. Neither one comes with an Optimal Recovery Time greater than 2-3 weeks, but it’s important to take care of them now so they don’t get worse and linger.
Yangervis Solarte IF, Blue Jays: oblique strain
Solarte has landed on the DL with a right oblique strain. While we don’t know the severity of this one, it always comes with an Optimal Recovery Time of at least two weeks, but most take longer than that to heal. Solarte’s Injury Risk has jumped to High. It could be awhile before we see him back in the Blue Jays lineup.
Adrian Beltre 3B, Rangers: hamstring strain
Once again Beltre is battling a lower body muscular injury. This time it’s another hamstring strain, but the Rangers haven’t made a decision yet on if he will land on the DL. While this one is reportedly minor, he has a very concerning history of these types of injuries. Our algorithm has calculated a High Injury Risk for Beltre throughout the entire 2018 season, and now it has jumped even higher (60%). That means he is almost guaranteed to either make his hamstring strain worse or suffer a new injury if he were to try to return to the lineup right now. The Rangers need to make the smart decision with their 39-year-old and place him on the DL. Beltre played just 94 games last year due to various injuries, and he already landed on the DL earlier this season with a hamstring strain.
Trevor Bauer SP, Indians: right fibula stress fracture
Bauer landed on the DL with a stress fracture to his right fibula. X-rays were negative when he was hit in the shin by a line drive, but additional scans showed the stress fracture. There is currently no timetable for his return, but Inside Injuries is showing a 7 week Optimal Recovery Time, putting him in danger of missing the rest of the regular season.
Ross Stripling SP, Dodgers: lower back inflammation
Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling was placed on the DL this week due to inflammation in his lower back. He has been a key piece in their rotation this year, filling in for the team’s many injured starters, but the plan was for him to move back to the bullpen. That move will have to wait as he recovers from his back problem. He is planning to play catch over the weekend to keep his arm in shape and then will ramp up his activity level next week as long as his back responds well and the inflammation is under control.
Tyler Skaggs SP, Angels: left adductor strain
Skaggs made a very brief return from the DL and lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and seven runs. When he was activated our analytics showed it was a week too soon and he remained High Risk with a Below Average HPF (Health Performance Factor). So it was no surprise that he struggled and is back on the DL with the adductor strain. He now needs at least 2-3 weeks to recover. Skaggs does have a history of oblique and groin injuries, so that’s a concern here as well. If he returns too soon again, he will be at a very high risk of suffering a more serious injury.
CC Sabathia SP, Yankees: right knee inflammation
The Yankees made a proactive decision to place Sabathia on the DL due to inflammation in his troublesome right knee. It’s a similar problem to the one he tried to fight through last year. His Injury Risk is High, so it was the right decision to shut things down before the inflammation gets any worse. It’s been a lingering problem for a few years and will continue to be something that he must manage for the rest of the season. Right now we are showing a two week Optimal Recovery Time.
Danny Duffy SP, Royals: left shoulder impingement
Duffy was placed on the DL this week due to left shoulder impingement. He has been battling stiffness in his pitching shoulder for close to a month. His velocity dropped during his last start, and he was later given an anti-inflammatory injection. Duffy has a concerning injury history that includes Tommy John surgery and two DL stints in 2017 (oblique strain, elbow impingement). He’s a guy we have been concerned about all year, never improving to a Low Injury Risk (he has fluctuated between Elevated and High Risk). Our algorithm is showing that he should miss a minimum of three weeks.
Follow Virginia @VZakas and Inside Injuries.
