Injuries aren’t limited to the Major League level. Here is the Fantrax Prospects Injury Report for May 15, 2023.
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Kristian Robinson – OF Arizona Diamondbacks
Robinson has finally returned to the Diamondbacks, and he couldn’t be happier. Since leaving the team almost three years ago, he has since added a lot of weight, bringing some visual comparisons to that of a football player. He is apparently very fast for his size, but is also extremely strong, as he’s been able to showcase his strength during multiple batting practice sessions. He is working on getting himself back into game shape and picking up where he left off in 2019 when he flashed 20/20 potential. He is currently unranked within the Diamondbacks’ organization, according to MLB.
Daniel Espino – SP Cleveland Guardians
Daniel Espino underwent right shoulder surgery yesterday. (Right shoulder anterior capsule repair, to be exact.)
He’s expected to return to game activity in 12-14 months.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) May 3, 2023
Espino underwent surgery at the beginning of the month and will miss a ton of time while recovering. He lost time last year with tendinitis on his patellar tendon, which contributed to his shoulder injury. He last pitched in a game on April 29, 2021, and has struggled to stay healthy. Once he returns, he has the potential to become something special with his 80-grade fastball and his future 70-grade slider. That said, those grades could change after a year of recovery time. Espino is baseball’s 12th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Forrest Whitley – SP Houston Astros
Forrest Whitley said he got an MRI in Houston last week on his shoulder/lat that came back “really, really clean.” He is scheduled to start tomorrow for Triple-A Sugar Land. He said he feels he is throwing better than at any point in his career.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 12, 2023
There was concern a week prior to this after Whitley complained of shoulder discomfort. He was given some time to rest and days later came back with a really clean MRI. He’s confident in himself too, stating that he’s pitching better now than at any other point of his career. While that remains to be seen, the more important piece of this is his staying healthy enough to actually pitch. In the aforementioned game, he threw five innings of two-hit baseball, surrendering just one run on a home run. He did strike out four batters, but his velocity was unavailable. Whitley is Houston’s 19th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Sixto Sanchez – SP Miami Marlins
The good news is that Sanchez felt great after a second session of catch this past week. Earlier in that week, Sanchez felt soreness, and there was some concern that he could regress a bit. After continuing along, it’s looking more like it was sore from just having an extended spring session. As such, it’s looking like he will continue from where he left off before the issue. The team will be very careful with him as they progress along. Sanchez is Miami’s 11th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Max Meyer – SP Miami Marlins
The team is being very careful with Meyer. The last time there was a Prospect Injury Report, Meyer had just advanced to throwing from 90 feet. Two weeks later, he’s now expanded that range to 105 feet. He will still need to advance toward 120 feet before anything else is done that resembles pitching. As it states here too, Ng is hopeful that he will be ready to go in 2024, but nothing is set in stone. Meyer is baseball’s 57th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Royce Lewis – SS Minnesota Twins
Royce Lewis, third baseman. pic.twitter.com/7r9V3Xlm1W
— Tom Froemming (@TFTwins) May 12, 2023
Royce Lewis officially began his rehab on May 11 and went 0 for 3 in the process. The big news of the night was not at the plate, but rather where he was playing. Lewis is trending toward being the team’s everyday third baseman at some point this spring/summer. His progress at that position may be what holds him back or pushes him forward to Minnesota. Two nights later on Saturday, he went two for three with a stolen base. Again though, experience with the glove at third base is likely what will keep him in the minors. Lewis is baseball’s 36th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Andrew Painter – SP Philadelphia Phillies
Excellent news, as Painter has been progressing quite well since his early spring setback. In fact, manager Rob Thompson has also said that Painter has not had any setbacks in his recovery, indicating that he is right where he should be. The hope everywhere is that he will be within the Phillies’ rotation sometime in the summer. Painter is baseball’s 2nd-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Rickey Tiedemann – SP Toronto Blue Jays
MRI revealed biceps inflammation in top prospect Ricky Tiedemann’s left shoulder. He’s week to week, says Blue Jays manager John Schneider.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) May 9, 2023
The good news is that the injury to Tiedemann’s shoulder shouldn’t be a devastating issue. The bad news is that this will likely keep him off of the Blue Jays for a while longer than he might have been. The team would be wise to take things slowly with arguably their best prospect, so nursing him back to full health is a must. There has been no indication of him returning anytime soon, so this could turn into an injury that requires some time. Tiedemann is baseball’s 26th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.