The Fantrax Injury Report is here for Thursday, June 29, 2023. Inside you’ll find out the latest on Chris Sale’s injury, which should get updated later today. There’s also some potentially positive news on two Yankees starters, both of whom could be back sooner than originally expected. Finally, the Pirates got some good news and bad news with regard to their lineup construction over the next little while.
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MLB Injury Report
Chris Sale – SP Boston Red Sox
Chris Sale will undergo an MRI tomorrow to see how his shoulder is progressing.
— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) June 28, 2023
Sale, already placed on the 60-day Injured List, will undergo an MRI tomorrow. Last week he was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left scapula that requires rest and rehab in order to get better. We should know more after this MRI what the exact timeline will be, but chances are that Sale misses most, if not all, of the remainder of the season.
Tanner Houck – SP Boston Red Sox
Tanner Houck will spend the next week recovering from his surgery and they'll map out a plan from there. Cora says there are "a lot of steps to go."
Did Houck suffer a concussion in addition to the facial fracture? "I think it was a slight one but he's good now."
— Mac Cerullo (@MacCerullo) June 28, 2023
Here’s a little bit of clarity regarding the situation with Houck. We should know more next week after he continues to rest. The hope too is that Cora is right and that he is symptom-free from his mild concussion.
Seiya Suzuki – OF Chicago Cubs
Ross says Suzuki is out today with a stiff neck. #Cubs
— Mike McGraw (@McGrawDHSports) June 28, 2023
Apparently, Suzuki woke up in the morning with a stiff neck. The hope is that this is a short-term injury and that Suzuzki will return as soon as possible.
Houston Astros -Team Update
Some Astros injury updates:
— Alvarez hit off a tee today, soft toss in the cage.
— Brantley hit on the field yesterday, in the cage today (he was fielding balls in LF too just now).
— Urquidy told me he feels good after throwing in the bullpen today.— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 28, 2023
Alvarez is slowly returning from his oblique injury, but there is no timetable for his return. Brantley is also returning from an injury and a setback, but his ETA seems to be farther off. Urquidy’s condition is encouraging after his BP sessions, which could lead to more.
Dustin May – SP Los Angeles Dodgers
In potential good #Dodgers injury news — Dave Roberts said he believes Dustin May has begun playing catch. Was shut down for 6 weeks following PRP injection. No word on where the throwing program goes from here.
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) June 28, 2023
Playing catch is the beginning stages of a comeback. He has a long way to go before he is back in the lineup.
Nestor Cortes – SP New York Yankees
Very encouraging news here for Cortes, as he will be attempting to throw from a mound soon. There is some fear that the Yankees are rushing things, but everyone, including Cortes, seems on board. How he feels afterward will be key to how he continues.
Carlos Rodon – SP New York Yankees
The date of July 7 is more speculation than anything, but it’s a good parameter for how the team may handle Rodon. Remember though, it all depends on how his body handles this potentially last outing.
Ramon Laureano – OF Oakland Athletics
Laureano will have that hand examined on Friday, and a much more specific timeline will be laid out. No matter what, it looks like he will be out of action for quite some time.
Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B Pittsburgh Pirates
We have recalled INF Jared Triolo from Triple-A Indianapolis, and placed INF Ke’Bryan Hayes on the 10-day Injured List (retro June 25).
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) June 28, 2023
Hayes had sat out and missed a few games this week, and now we know why. Hayes had back injuries last year, so there is some concern here that the problems have returned. Until we hear otherwise, that’s something to keep in mind.
Bryan Reynolds – OF Pittsburgh Pirates
Bryan Reynolds (low back inflammation) told me last night that he hit yesterday. He'll throw today. Feels good. Goal is to be activated after the minimum 10 days, which means Friday.
"That's the hope," Reynolds said.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) June 28, 2023
Whether or not it happens on Friday, the thing to take away from this is that Reynolds is close. Be prepared.
Yu Darvish – SP San Diego Padres
Yu Darvish arrived in Pittsburgh today. He did not feel well and might not be able to start Friday.
Left-handed reliever Ray Kerr is on his way to rejoin team.
Reiss Knehr has been placed on IL. He experienced elbow discomfort toward the end of his outing last night.— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) June 28, 2023
Stay tuned for information on his next start. The team may just wait until he’s 1005 healthy and recovered.
Michael Conforto – OF San Francisco Giants
The Giant say Michael Conforto was pulled because of left hamstring tightness.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) June 29, 2023
The severity of the injury is unknown, but he will likely miss at least one game while he recovers. The team should reveal more information about it today.
Ryan Helsley – RP St. Louis Cardinals
Doc said go. https://t.co/Ccv24xXQqP
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) June 28, 2023
The good news is that Helsely has been cleared to start throwing again. The bad news is that he is essentially starting from scratch, and will therefore be out of action for quite some time.
Nolan Arenado – 3B St. Louis Cardinals
Nolan Arenado removed with low back tightness, day to day.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) June 29, 2023
Arenado was removed from the game with tightness in his back. He is considered DTD until we know more.
CJ Abrams – SS Washington Nationals
CJ Abrams, meanwhile, departed after getting hit in the right elbow with a pitch for the second time this week. He was getting postgame treatment, they'll see how he's feeling in the morning.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) June 28, 2023
Abrams had started to show some power by actively pulling the ball more. The hope is that this is a minor injury and that he can get back to his new ways as he had been on quite a little roll as of late.