Howdy, Razzfolks!
I hope your summer is treating you well and that you all had a happy and safe Fourth. Mixed bag this week as far as Good News and Bad News goes. Some stars you’ve been waiting on are making progress, although that progress is to varying degrees of satisfaction. Plenty of injuries to talk about, too!
Infielders
Adalberto Mondesi: IL (oblique) – I’m sorry to report I have no timeline for you, but I can at least bring you news that Mondesi took to the field this week during drills and is progressing.
Alex Bregman: IL (quad) – Bregs did some light running and it’s been reported he’s ahead of schedule in his recovery. He’ll still miss most of July, though.
Anthony Rendon: IL (hammy) – Felt hammy tightness on Sunday then was put on the IL Tuesday. Third trip to the Irritating List this year…oof. I’m finding it hard to come up with reasons to convince you to hold him at this point. The potential for a monster second half is always there with someone of his caliber, especially when guys like Walsh and Trout and Ohtani (and Upton again) are batting nearby in the lineup. Why aren’t the Angels super super crazy good?!
Buster Posey: IL (thumb) – Injured his thumb back on Sunday. X-rays were negative, but he hasn’t played since and it was enough to land him on the IL. That seems more like a roster formality just to close out the weekend before the All-Star break starts, but it does mean he’ll miss the actual game. Too bad it’s not a toe injury or I could call him Busted Toesey.
Carlos Correa: IL (COVID) – Correa hit the COVID-IL yesterday evening. Stay tuned for any updates.
Corey Seager: IL (hand) – Seager should kick off a rehab stint soon after the All-Star break. He’s finally swinging a bat again. Not long ago it sounded like he’d be right as rain before long but then I guess he kinda stalled. Welp, we got some good news later than expected but I’m looking forward to that bat in my fantasy lineups.
Mark Canha: IL (hip) – There’s an itty bitty chance Canha gets activated for this weekend’s series. That’s good news, though, cuz if it’s not this weekend then it should be soon. More 1B SB in my life, plz.
Tommy La Stella: IL (hammy/thumb) – The Star could re-rehab starting sometime during the All-Star break.
Yasmani Grandal: IL (knee) – Take away that horrendous BA and you’ve got a badass fantasy catcher on your hands. But sadly he’s now on the IL with a knee injury. Estimate for a return is 4-6 weeks.
Outfielders
Eddie Rosario: IL (abdomen) – Landed on the IL with an abdomen injury but it’s considered pretty mild so it sounds like his IL stay will be brief. A lot of Rudy’s War Room darlings have panned out, but Rosario hasn’t quite met the mark. Don’t sleep too hard on him in the second half, though.
Eloy Jimenez: IL (pectoral) – Eloy’s rehab stint began yesterday! If that tweet a while back about a 20-day clock is true, then late July Eloy will be a thing! It’s time to do the ol’ add-and-stash if someone in your league hasn’t already.
? @The_bigbaby74 in hole 3! pic.twitter.com/ybi6cNWJWs
— Winston-Salem Dash (@WSDashBaseball) July 9, 2021
Justin Upton: IL (back) – Upton will be out through the All-Star Break but I’d imagine he should be back not too long after that. Probably. But it’s 2021, so probably not? I dunno. Stay tuned.
Kyle Schwarber: DTD (hammy) – Schwarber’s hamstring injury is a real bad one from the sound of things. Rotowire shows an August 30 expected return date…I think that’s just a placeholder, but we are definitely looking at an August ?? return date. Le sigh.
Lorenzo Cain: IL (hammy) – Cain began a rehab stint this week. Like with Rendon, the IL trips have been too frequent for my taste so I probably wouldn’t even bother with him. But I could hear the argument for a healthy Cain boosting fantasy squads in the second half. I’ll let you be the judge of all that!
Manuel Margot: IL (hammy) – Outside of being a solid source of stolen bases, Margot isn’t awfully fantasy relevant in his own right. But his trip to the IL for a hamstring injury means uber prospect Vidal Brujan joins fellow uber prospect Wander Franco in the bigs. Tough to trust fresh rookies, but in 12+ team leagues I’m taking my chances. They’re both already flashing some bat and some wheels. Brujan could revolutionize your roster from the 2B slot. Keyword: could.
Mike Trout: IL (calf) – Trout is doing drills and taking batting practice these days. Not real sure when he will be back, but he could be back July 17. Kind of a meh update but progress nonetheless.
Starters
Blake Snell: IL (gastroenteritis) – Oooof. Gastroenteritis, aka stomach flu, has landed Snell on the injured list. It’s been hard to stomach his season so far, amirite?
Carlos Carrasco: IL (hammy) – Cookie could start rehab next week if things go well after doing some more live BP work this weekend. He’s got another session scheduled for today. Finally some actual light at the end of this tunnel!
Chris Sale: IL (TJS recovery) – So, it sounds like Sale is feeling great. All systems go. The thing is, they want him to be able to stretch out to 5-6 innings before activating him. If they stick to that, then we’re looking at an early-to-mid-August return, cuz you more or less gotta give him a simulated Spring Training if you want him to come back in as a true starter. He will likely start that process next week. Plus, Boston is winning a lot of games already. No reason to rush things with your elite ace.
Clayton Kershaw: IL (forearm) – The Kershdawg was put on the IL Wednesday with forearm inflammation. An MRI was done yesterday so we should know more today about what a timeline for return could look like. Roberts was at least quoted initially as not being all that concerned.
Jack Flaherty: IL (oblique) – J-Flare was transferred to the 60-day IL, so we definitely won’t see him til August. Who knows how long into August it’ll take. Probably a good while, honestly.
Joe Ross: IL (elbow) – Neat. Ross was on the up and up. So much so he’s a headliner for an injury report. See tweet below:
today on Piddling Around On @Razzball:
only four pitchers have 40+ K and <3.00 FIP over the last 30 days
Joe Ross ??? pic.twitter.com/lcoAbkbJlW
— JKJ (@jkj0787) July 8, 2021
That’s some real good company to be in. Alas, Ross now is on the IL with elbow inflammation. Hopefully it’s just that and not something more…
Luis Severino: IL (groin) – Remember how Severino was close to a return from Tommy John but then got hurt almost immediately in his first rehab start? He’s been throwing in the pen and could face live batters very soon. Hopefully he can ramp up without any issues this time.
Sixto Sanchez: IL (shoulder) – A new MRI found a tear, so he’s having surgery and that officially puts the coffin six feet under (i.e. his chances of playing in 2021. He’s not dead; don’t be morbid).
Sonny Gray: IL (rib) – Oh boy, Sonny Boy. Gray is back on the IL with a rib injury even though he pitched 7 strong innings Thursday. Stay tuned for updates on the severity.
Zac Gallen: IL (hammy) – Well I predicted Gallen would go back on the IL, but I figured it’d be his elbow. He threw a pen session Wednesday and could be ready to come back after the break. Like, real soon after.
Zach Plesac: IL (thumb) – Activated Thursday! His innings were limited and probably will be for a little bit. Went 4 innings with 3 ER and 4 K.
Relievers
Drew Pomeranz: IL (forearm) – Geez. This guy again. The forearm again. Austin Adams szn if you need holds.
Lucas Sims: IL (elbow) – Sims is expected to return in late July. I would figure he’s the closer when he’s back, so stash if you have room and need saves.
Tejay Antone: IL (forearm) – Antone was given a PRP injection this week and is expected to return late this month along with Sims. That’d be super neat if they came back at the same time like this epic bullpen superhero duo.
Trevor Rosenthal: IL (shoulder/hip) – Well, keep your Lou Trivino shares with confidence cuz T-Rose is now having hip surgery out of the blue and will 100% not play this season.
Victor Gonzalez: IL (foot) – Gonzalez was put on the IL earlier in the week with plantar fasciitis. He should be owned in 100% of SVHD leagues but 0% in standard formats. You probably already knew that, but just to prove it to ya, he’s the #4 RP in $HLD on our Player Rater. Jimmy Nelson probably gets a few more hold opportunities while Gonzalez is out if you’re in the market for those.
Find me on Twitter: @jkj0787. DMs are always open for questions, comments, concerns, complaints, etc. Odds are good I’m drinking black coffee, dark beer, or some form of bourbon at any given time.
