Ambulance Chasers: AJ(SS) Heads For TJ

Mike Trout is back to playing baseball, but for how long? I’m genuinely hoping for 80-90 games total at this point because another lower-body injury just further compounds the risk for this future HOF-er. Obviously, it is disheartening to see an all-time talent virtually perish before our eyes, but not the first nor last time it will occur.

I bit this season given his price drop in drafts past pick 100, yet even that looks like a mistake. He is barely hitting .200 through one-third of the season, and the strikeout rate is his highest ever. In all likelihood, I will never buy back in for non-IL leagues unless he is available in the last few rounds of a draft. We had a good run, king.

Anyway, if there were any injuries missed, feel free to yell at me in the comments or on Twitter/X @RotoSurgeon.

Injuries to Monitor

Anthony Santander (OF, TOR) Shoulder

FINALLY. The inevitable Santander IL stint has hit our timelines. This is a moment to rejoice for an injury since he has been playing through shoulder inflammation AND a hip issue. While his performance thus far has been drop-worthy, you should keep him on the IL and see how he looks upon return now that the Blue Jays’ offense is waking up (thank you, Addison Barger!). This stint comes with an indefinite timeline, which may be for the best.

Ryan Mountcastle (1B, BAL) Hamstring

Call Ryan a sand Mountcastle because he is crumbling. The underwhelming first baseman has been a clean-up staple in Baltimore’s lineup since Brandon Hyde’s firing, but the power has not been on display. He just left Friday’s game with “hamstring tightness” and that is enough to let go if he hits the IL soon. Ironically, this came after stealing his *first* base of the season, which happened to be home plate?? I don’t know what’s going on anymore.

AJ Smith-Shawver (SP, ATL) Elbow

RIP. The hard-throwing righty is headed for either Tommy John or an internal brace procedure after tearing his UCL on Thursday. We witnessed this injury in real-time as AJSS’s velocity dropped continually while wincing through pitches. This was not even noticed until Spencer Strider walked up to their pitching coach!

Nevertheless, do not expect much from AJSS next season, given that his peripheral metrics were horrible this year. He improved certain parts of his game with an elevated groundball rate, but still gave up significant hard contact, which was not punished with home runs. He is not worth a keeper slot, nor worth buying “low” in dynasty baseball.

Logan Gilbert (SP, SEA) Elbow

The Mariners expect Gilbert back in their rotation on June 10. He pitched in his first rehab outing this week and struck out three batters through one and two-thirds innings while walking two. He will start one more game in Triple-A to build up his pitch count, but paying attention to his strikeouts and walks is important. Gilbert’s injury was reported as minor, yet could be exacerbated given the nature of elbow ligaments for hard-throwing starters.

Seattle is also potentially going with a six-man rotation when Gilbert returns, which diminishes his fantasy value slightly in weekly leagues. He is best to sell ASAP upon return, given the inherent risk. The name value and production to date should be enough to net a proper return.

Austin Hays (OF, CIN) Foot

Hays has suffered a variety of injuries this season, with the latest almost comical. He hit a ball off of his foot and will miss a week due to it. The good news is that this injury is deemed a contusion rather than a fracture, and hopefully, this is far from the “contusion” Kyle Tucker suffered last season after hitting his shin.

Given Hays’ performance thus far, he is worth holding on IL unless this stint extends for whatever reason.

Nathan Eovaldi (SP, TEX) Triceps

The Rangers’ co-ace has reportedly been pitching through “triceps soreness” for several starts, but only in this most recent one did he have to leave early. Eovaldi is expected to pitch on regular rest while also monitoring his pitches/workload going forward. News like this is not shocking for a veteran SP, yet we should take action soon. Second-half declines come for anyone, even those with elite starts like Eovaldi (see: Suarez, Ranger last season).

Bryce Miller (SP, SEA) Elbow

Bryce Miller announced that he has been pitching through a bone spur in his elbow?? This would explain his egregious performance thus far, and unfortunately, the issue cannot be resolved without surgery. He will return to the rotation soon, though, and continue to blow up our collective ratios. Drop him like his elbow mid-start…HOT.