Here is the Fantrax Injury Report for Thursday, August 17, 2023. In today’s edition, the St. Louis Cardinals find themselves depleted after yesterday’s game: Lars Nootbar, Tommy Edman, Willson Contreras, Nolan Gorman, and Ryan Helsley all received bad news in some form or another, and now the team is reeling. Also, Marcus Stroman suffered a major setback and could be out of action for the remainder of the season. Finally, Kris Bryant’s return just got a bit more interesting as there’s a twist on what his role could be with the Rockies. All this and much more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
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MLB Injury Report
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. – OF Arizona Diamondbacks
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. was removed from today's game with a left hip contusion.
— Arizona Diamondbacks (@Dbacks) August 16, 2023
Gurriel left the game midway through and it’s unclear as to how he injured himself. Consider him DTD until we know more about the situation.
Aaron Hicks – OF Baltimore Orioles
Orioles lineup, with Aaron Hicks out for a second game after experiencing some back soreness on Monday pic.twitter.com/ghOY0PcFkQ
— Danielle Allentuck (@d_allentuck) August 16, 2023
Hicks had just returned from a three-week stint on the Injured List for a hamstring issue. Now, he misses his second straight with back soreness. There was hope that he’d be available off the bench in both contests, but he hasn’t played in either game.
Adaberto Mondesi – INF Boston Red Sox
Alex Cora says that Adalberto Mondesi has been shut down, he won’t play this season with the Red Sox and will enter free agency.
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) August 16, 2023
Mondesi will leave Boston having never stepped into the batter’s box or on the field once for a game. There will be a limited market for his services this offseason.
Tanner Houck – SP Boston Red Sox
Tanner Houck made his third rehab start for Worcester today:
4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K on 59 pitches (36 strikes). He allowed a seeing-eye single in the top of the first, then retired 10 consecutive batters to finish his outing.
Houck recorded 11 swing-and-misses.
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) August 16, 2023
Houck appears to be all but ready to play as he gets himself activated for Monday.
Marcus Stroman – SP Chicago Cubs
Asked if Marcus Stroman (right rib cartilage fracture) could be out rest of year Hoyer said, “I have no idea. That's the honest truth. We don't really know at this point. …It’s not a real common pitching injury. I've never seen that before so for me to speculate would be false.”
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) August 16, 2023
A minor rib cartilage injury could require two weeks away, but with so much uncertainty here, this could be a season-ending injury. Remember, he had just missed two weeks with a hip injury, and now will miss even more with this rib cartilage fracture. Whatever timeline it is, he will need to ramp himself back up and undoubtedly need a rehab assignment.
Eloy Jimenez – OF Chicago White Sox
Pedro Grifol said Eloy Jiménez tweaked his groin a little while running to first base last night, hence his absence from the lineup tonight. Eloy is day-to-day, and Sox will see how he feels after tomorrow’s off day ahead of their weekend series in Denver.
— Vinnie Duber (@VinnieDuber) August 16, 2023
Jimenez shockingly hurt himself while moving his body on a baseball field.
Hunter Greene – SP Cincinnati Reds
#Reds RHP Hunter Greene is scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Blue Jays. pic.twitter.com/qz0bQuZ7Bi
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) August 16, 2023
Be prepared.
Jake Fraley – OF Cincinnati Reds
There should be a better idea of the direction for Fraley once he gets the results of this MRI.
Jonathan India – SP Cincinnati Reds
Get well soon, captain 🇺🇸@anniesabo_ and @Reds skipper David Bell provide an update on Jonathan India's status. pic.twitter.com/AlNMWZSqEv
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) August 15, 2023
According to this report, India feels that he tried to do too much too soon, hence the delay. He will try running in about four days and go from there. As it stands, he shouldn’t be considered close to returning and will likely need a rehab assignment. As stated here in the report, he is still pointing to an early or mid-September return.
Kris Bryant – OF Colorado Rockies
Kris Bryant: first baseman?
With three young outfielders, a move to first may be viewed as beneficial for all.
“Potentially. Yeah,” #Rockies Bud Black said. “One of Kris’ advantages as a player – this is well documented when he was with the Cubs – is he played all over.”
— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) August 16, 2023
That would be an interesting development here for Bryant.
Nick Gordon – INF Minnesota Twins, Chris Paddack – SP Minnesota Twins
Gordon has been out for quite some time and is only about to begin running now. The hope is that he can return following a rehab assignment, but nothing is set in stone. As for Paddack, his return would be welcomed for the Twins, likely in a relief role, as the team looks to gun for a playoff spot. That said, rushing him back could do more harm than good.
Mark Vientos – 3B New York Mets
Mark Vientos had an MRI on his wrist that revealed inflammation. He's day to day.
— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) August 16, 2023
Consider Vientos DTD, as he seems to have avoided a serious injury.
Edwin Diaz – RP New York Mets
Edwin Diaz threw off a mound in the bullpen today
— Abbey Mastracco (@AbbeyMastracco) August 16, 2023
This is a huge step forward for Diaz, who has thrown off the mound for the first time since his injury. For now, things like velocity and pitch count don’t matter at all. The fact that he threw from a mound is great news.
Carlos Rodon – SP New York Yankees
Carlos Rodón threw a five-inning simulated game today in Tampa and it went well, says Aaron Boone.
Assuming Rodón bounces back well in his recovery tomorrow, he’s in line to start on Tuesday against the Nationals at Yankee Stadium.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) August 16, 2023
The five innings pitched is a big chunk of time for a pitcher to throw in a simulated game. He looks almost ready to return next week, as is speculated.
Brandon Marsh – OF Philadelphia Phillies
Brandon Marsh will do all non-game activities today in Lehigh Valley (running, etc) and if that goes well, he’ll DH in Lehigh Valley tomorrow. Pache will DH in LV tonight.
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) August 16, 2023
We will likely find out today whether or not yesterday’s activities went well enough to continue his progression. As it stands, he’s set to DH today.
Mitch Haniger – OF San Francisco Giants
Mitch Haniger (forearm fracture) plans on going to Arizona this weekend and starting a rehab assignment next week, he said. Will need some time to get back into the swing of things and feel comfortable again after such a long layoff.
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) August 16, 2023
Haniger will begin what is likely a very long rehab process over the weekend. He is on track to return at the beginning of September.
Lars Nootbar – OF St. Louis Cardinals, Tommy Edman – IF/OF St. Louis Cardinals
Injury Updates: Lars Nootbaar was removed from tonight's game due to a lower abdomen contusion. Tommy Edman left tonight's game with a right calf contusion.
— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 17, 2023
Both Edman and Nootbar are DTD with their contusions, though there was some speculation that Nootbar should go get himself checked out at the hospital. Stay tuned.
Willson Contreras – C St. Louis Cardinals
Willson Contreras has had some improvement, feeling a little better, might be available off the bench tonight.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) August 16, 2023
Contreras did not appear in last night’s game, but he does appear close to returning from his hip tightness ailment.
Ryan Helsley – RP St. Louis Cardinals
Ryan Helsley had a little residual soreness in the same flexor/forearm area that put him on the IL and he’s easing off game appearances for now. Still hopeful he’ll pitch again this season. Got an MRI this morning and it showed healing, so there’s some optimism. Next step TBD.
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) August 16, 2023
Helsely himself said in an interview that he didn’t want to push himself too much, given the situation that they’re in. He was pulled off of his rehab assignment and will likely have to restart it once he’s able to pitch again.
Nolan Gorman – INF St. Louis Cardinals
Lefty slugger Nolan Gorman (lower back tightness) is being evaluated again today by the #STLCards medical staff. The 23-year-old second baseman is still having low back pain when he bends and rotates, leaving him unable to play in the field or DH.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) August 16, 2023
We should know more once the results are released, but this doesn’t sound promising at all.
Manuel Margot – OF Tampa Bay Rays
#Rays Cash said Margot's right elbow surgery went as expected, so the timeline for a return in 3-4 weeks remains intact
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) August 16, 2023
Look for some updates midway through this time off to ensure that all is going as planned.
Jose Siri – OF Tampa Bay Rays
The word from Kevin Cash on Jose Siri is that they’re not overly concerned and optimistic it won’t be a huge issue
— Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) August 16, 2023
If there’s any team that deserves a break, it’s the Tampa Bay Rays, as the injuries keep piling on. Here’s hoping they’re correct and that this isn’t a major issue at all.
Matt Chapman – 3B Toronto Blue Jays
Matt Chapman is not in #Bluejays lineup again, and with a day off tomorrow I’m not surprised.
He is currently taking ground balls but not throwing.
— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness) August 16, 2023
The hope is that the day off will give Chapman what he needs to return. His inability to throw is a bit concerning.
Mackenzie Gore – SP Washington Nationals
MacKenzie Gore had a split nail on his middle finger that resulted in a blister. Said he deals with this all the time, but should be fine for his next start.
— Andrew Golden (@andrewcgolden) August 17, 2023
It’s unclear if Gore will make his next start, but he believes that he can.