Hey, folks.
Just wanna say I’m sorry for the headline, but I really do love the “more like [insert pun version of name here]” joke format. It’s my absolute favorite.
But what isn’t my absolute favorite? Lol you guessed it. Injuries. Let’s talk about the updates from this past week:
Mike Trout: Headline boy is out 6-8 weeks by early estimates after suffering a random, didn’t-look-all-that-bad calf strain. Oh well. There’s one knock I have against Trout from a fantasy perspective, and it’s that he’s suffered pretty big injuries for a few years in a row now. From 2013-16, he played in 157, 157, 159, and 159 games. From 2017-20, it’s been 114, 140, 134, and 53 (out of 60, but that equates to 143 in a regular season). It feels to me like Trout has amped his power game up even more in those recent years — just imagine what a 159-game season from 2019 or 2020 Trout would net you. Again, oh well. Injuries happen. Just sucks to see this happen to him again.
Jacob deGrom: Sounds like deGrom is just fine. He needed some rest, is all. The Mets went savage mode and had him pitch a 3-inning rehab game in Low-A against raw teenagers. It went exactly how you would expect: he was basically perfect (a runner reached on an error) with 8 K in just those 3 IP. He hit 100+MPH multiple times, topping out just over 102. Should be back Tuesday, assuming normal five-day rest.
Corey Seager: Took a pitch to the hand. Said hand is broken. Said broken hand will keep superstar Seager out for four weeks at least. Cooooooooooooool. I had literally just acquired him in a trade, too.
Cody Bellinger / Zach McKinstry: Both began a rehab assignment yesterday in Triple-A. I absolutely cannot wait to get Beli back on my teams. McKinstry was playing well before getting hurt, slashing .296/.328/.556 with 7 R, 5 2B, 3 HR, and 14 RBI (141 wRC+) in 58 PAs. Not bad for a complete nobody I honestly had never heard of before this season. Curious was his being back will do for the likes of Gavin Lux, who has also been playing very well lately. And then there’s that Albert Pujols guy lol. What even is that signing? The infield is getting crowded in LA, even with Seager out.
Giancarlo Stanton: Stanton been doing Stanton thangs this year. Obliterating baseballs but also finding himself in the IL again. This time it’s a quad strain. Good news is he’ll be back soon: the Yankees expect he’ll make his return on Tuesday.
J.T. Realmuto: Jank Taco is on the shelf officially now: he landed on the IL with a hand injury that has kept him out an entire week. The rule is it can only be back-dated three days, though, so he can’t be activated until the latter part of this coming week. This is the part where a real jackass analyst who told you not to draft him at all would double down on the fact that your overpriced catcher is now injured on top of the draft pick it cost you to get him…but I don’t wanna be that much of a jackass. I’m sorry for your loss, cuz we’re all suffering too much as it is.
Pete Alonso / Jeff McNeil / J.D. Davis: Alonso was scratched Wednesday due to a sore hand/wrist. MRI revealed a sprain. Keep a lookout for updates on severity, but it sounds like he’ll miss the next several days at least. McNeil has a dadblasted hamstring strain. No word on a return. As for Davis, he started rehabbing and is super close to a return. Like, maybe today close?
Adalberto Mondesi: O-M-GGGGG we’re so close, ladies n gents. So close. Rehab has gone well, at least in the sense that he’s feeling good. Numbers haven’t been stellar.
Mike Moustakas: Thanks to Rudy’s War Room, I have an ass-ton of Moose shares. He’s been sometimes good and sometimes bad, but still a good option to have at 2B. A heel injury has landed him on the IL, though. Sounds for now like he’ll just need the minimum stay.
Alex Kirilloff: Quick note here that AK got activated on Friday. He was a HR daddy in his rehab games, and he went and collected two hits in his return to the lineup. Could be your league forgot about the kid with his injury that initially sounded worse than it turned out to be. If’n that’s the case, you know what to do. But just in case you don’t know what to do, going and adding him is what you should do.
Byron Buxton: Seeing conflicting reports out there, to be honest. I saw an update just a few days that Buck isn’t even running. He’s been out since May 6, so two full weeks later and he’s not even running? No bueno. But then I saw a report that he’s ready to rehab this weekend and is expected to join the team this coming week sometime? The latter report comes from a local Minneapolis radio station, who said the Twins president hinted at Buxton rehabbing soon. I guess, uh, stay tuned.
George Springer: Sadly, it’s unclear when Springer could return — he’s not even running yet. Just some light jogging. The Jays will take their time on this one given it’s his second IL stint of the season already. He’s played a grand total of four games.
A.J. Pollock: Pollock is on the IL with a hammy injury. If you’ll recall, he came back only to re-aggravate it last week, and now it’s progressed to the point where he needs an IL stint. As one of the more injury-prone players in professional sports, I’m hesitant to roster the guy.
Brandon Nimmo/Michael Conforto: Nimmo’s finger flared up again, so his rehab was cut short in order to receive more treatment. Not clear when he’ll restart things. Conforto also hit the IL for the Mets this week. Hammy strain. I could have lumped him and Nimmo and McNeil and Alonso and Davis and de Grom all into one paragraph, I guess, but that just seemed superfluous. Kinda like the number of injuries the Mets are dealing with at the moment. Don’t forget Cookie! And Thor! And Walker! And Lugo! And Pillar! Speaking of Thor and Walker: Noah Syndergaard is cruising right along in rehab and is set to be with Mets by mid-June. Taijuan Walker is on the IL with side soreness but it could be a relatively minor issue.
Starling Marte: Took BP reps Friday but we still don’t have a clear picture on a possible return. Looking at June sometime I’d guess.
Tyler O’Neill: On the IL with a broken finger. He has been enjoying the breakout year I thought was coming last year: 8 HR, 18 RBI, and 4 SB on the year. Not a great BA/OBP, but were you really expecting that anyway?
Victor Robles: Despite underwhelming once again (especially after a torrid Spring), Robles hasn’t been totally useless in OBP leagues. His .348 OBP ain’t bad considering it’s paired with a .246 BA. No homers, but he has 4 steals! I wanna believe in him so bad, but I’d be frustrated AF if I owned him in dynasty. At least in redraft, you can just cut bait with no real fear of anyone swooping in.
Danny Duffy: We all predicted a 4-3 record, a 1.94 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 48 K from Duffy at this point, right? I sure did. Just kidding, I sure as hell didn’t. Duffy’s been decently hyped over the years but always got hurt and/or just plain disappointed. Well, at least he’s halfway to breaking that stigma, I guess. He’s hurt again, though. On the IL with a forearm flexor strain.
Elieser Hernandez: Hernandez is very close to returning to the Marlins. Should be back this coming week. If you’re in need of starting pitching, EH is a good waiver target. Went 1-0 last year with a 3.16 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 34 K in 25.2 IP.
Huascar Ynoa: Because we can’t have nice things in 2021, Ynoa got big mad and with his galaxy brain decided to punch a damn bench in the dugout after a rough outing. Went and broke his damn hand over a temper tantrum. Gonna be out for like two months or more.
Jesus Luzardo: Speaking of temper tantrums and broken bones…Lizard King broke his finger a while back slamming his hand down on a table after getting frustrated during a sweaty try-hard video game sesh. He’s been throwing some pen sessions and will be out of rehab this week sometime. A return is in the near future.
Kenta Maeda: A groin issue has been bothering him but he’ll make his start today.
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.
