Here is the Fantrax Injury Report for Monday, July 17, 2023. Down below, you’ll read about a lot of updates in Houston, as the Astros are just ravaged by prominent injuries right now. There’s also the sudden return of Brendan Rodgers that could happen before the end of the month. Finally, we should know more today about the situation behind the plate in Kansas City after yesterday’s injury to Salvador Perez. All that and more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
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MLB Injury Report
Cedric Mullins – OF Baltimore Orioles, Aaron Hicks – OF Baltimore Orioles
Injury updates from #Orioles manager Brandon Hyde:
-Cedric Mullins getting treatment on his right quad, day-to-day situation.
-Aaron Hicks was scratched due to some lower back soreness.
-O's discussing next step for Cionel Pérez, whether that's joining team or more rehab— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) July 16, 2023
Mullins remains DTD with the issue on his quad, though the team has yet to decide if the Injury List is an option. As for Hicks, he is out of the lineup for precautionary reasons, so the injury may not be that serious. The Orioles are currently deep enough that any time missed can be covered by other talented players.
Eloy Jimenez – OF Chicago White Sox
Eloy Jimenez hurt the groin before touching first base on DP. Will be further evaluated but Grifol said he could be out 4, 5 days.
— Daryl Van Schouwen (@CST_soxvan) July 16, 2023
Jimenez hurt himself while running toward first base, and it looks like he will miss under a week with groin tightness. He will likely miss the entire series at the Mets and will do his best to return when the team plays at Minnesota next weekend.
Shane Bieber – SP Cleveland Guardians
Shane Bieber got “really encouraging” news today after meeting with Dr. Meister. He’ll go two weeks without throwing and will continue to be evaluated week by week, but they determined he does not need surgery.
— Mandy Bell (@MandyBell02) July 16, 2023
This is definitely good news on the Bieber front, as a much worse diagnosis was expected. While a two-week shutdown is a lot to undertake, it’s all about rest right now, to ensure that the inflammation goes away. While it has yet to be determined if it will in fact dissipate, the fact that no procedure is expected is great news.
Brendan Rodgers – 2B Colorado Rockies
#Rockies 2B Brendan Rodgers and RHP Tyler Kinley headed out to rehab on Monday with Spokane.
— Patrick Saunders (@psaundersdp) July 16, 2023
This is fantastic news that is unexpected so soon. There was talk of Rodgers possibly returning late in the season, but him being back in August seemed unprecedented at the time, Fingers crossed that all goes well.
Houston Astros – Team Update
Some updates from Dusty Baker:
— Peña is a "little sore" and with a day off tomorrow, the Astros are giving him two days off.
— Valdez is in a "good frame of mind," but no real news on him today.
— Alvarez hit again today at Minute Maid Park and threw and ran.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 16, 2023
– Jose Altuve and Michael Brantley ran the bases prior to today's game. Baker said Altuve will go with Astros to Colorado, so he's not ready for a rehab assignment yet.
– When asked about the status of his bullpen, Baker said, "overworked." https://t.co/4wlhUZyN5V
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 16, 2023
There’s a lot to unpack here with some very good fantasy names. Pena injured his hamstring late in a game Saturday, and manager Dusty Baker insists that it is just a cramp. The team has today off, so this is considered a two-day break. As for Valdez, his calf injury could lead to some time on the Injured List, though nothing has yet been mentioned about that either way. Alvarez seems close to being fully healthy from his illness, meaning he should be able to go to his rehab assignment any day now. Altuve seems to be progressing and has been about a week behind Alvarez’s progress. As for Brantley, his return remains a mystery, and nothing should be counted on for this season.
Salvador Perez – C Kansas City Royals
Salvador Perez has a left hamstring strain, and he's undergoing further tests to determine the grade (severity). More will be known tomorrow. #Royals
— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) July 16, 2023
There should be more clarity later today, but t wouldn’t be surprising to see Perez on the Injured List for this one. He’s been banged up all season but has tried to play through injuries. Perhaps just over a week off is what he needs.
Bobby Miller – SP Los Angeles Dodgers
#Dodgers Bobby Miller said he felt a little discomfort on his right knee in the fourth inning, but is “all good.” He wanted to stay in the game in the 5th and get out of the jam, but added he understood the decision.
— Juan Toribio (@juanctoribio) July 17, 2023
Miller says that he is okay and that he wanted to pitch through this ailment. Time will tell if those words match how his body ultimately feels. Consider him DTD with more clarity coming our way in the near future.
Clayton Kershaw – SP Los Angeles Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw threw in the outfield at full throttle for a third consecutive day without issues. Kershaw said he plans on throwing a bullpen session in Baltimore. #Dodgers
— David Vassegh (@THEREAL_DV) July 16, 2023
Kershaw says that he feels good, which is positive news. Nonetheless, until he gets clearance from his trainers and the medical staff, he will remain out of action for the time being.
Noah Syndergaard – SP Los Angeles Dodgers
Noah Syndergaard had a good outing for AAA OKC last night. @Noahsyndergaard went 5 innings, gave up just 2 ERs, had 6 Ks and 0 Walks. The 6 Ks are very encouraging! He featured 6 pitches, sinker the most with avg. exit velo of just 81.4 & 67% whiff rate on change. #dodgers pic.twitter.com/h3dCGfhn2N
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) July 16, 2023
Pretty encouraging numbers here. What else makes it intriguing is that his sinker averaged 93.9 mph, with as much as 30 inches of vertical drop and 17 inches of horizontal break. It’ll be interesting to see if he can build on this during his next rehab outing. He’s someone to monitor, albeit with a short leash.
Rowdy Tellez – 1B Milwaukee Brewers
More unfortunate injury news for the Brewers: Rowdy Tellez broke the tip of his ring finger on his throwing hand before last night’s game shagging fly balls. Also required 17 stitches for a torn nail bed. He will be out 3-4 weeks minimum.
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) July 16, 2023
What a tough break here. Hopefully, Tellez can come back from this and give one final month of production.
Jose Miranda – 3B Minnesota Twins
José Miranda is getting a PRP injection in his shoulder tomorrow and should be down for roughly a week as they monitor his symptoms before progressing to baseball activity when ready.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) July 16, 2023
Miranda’s shoulder has been bothering him since the spring. This will hopefully put an end to those problems so that he can return to action. It might be a while before he’s back.
Josh Donaldson – 3B New York Yankees
Prior to today’s game, the Yankees made the following roster moves:
•Placed INF Josh Donaldson on the 10-day injured list with a right calf strain.
•Recalled INF Oswald Peraza (#91) from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.— Yankees PR Dept. (@YankeesPR) July 16, 2023
Donaldson is having an abysmal season, and the addition of Peraza might benefit the Yankees.
Ramon Laureano – OF Oakland Athletics
There’s no word on the possible length of this rehab assignment, but the fact that he may start one is encouraging. Laureano could be traded before the deadline.
Michael Wacha – SP San Diego Padres
Michael Wacha said he hasn't started playing catch yet. He hopes to start in Toronto or Detroit. Still no timetable on his return.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) July 16, 2023
Wacha last pitched on July 1, and his not yet throwing is concerning. Whenever he is ready, a rehab assignment is all but certain to be in his future.
Anthony DeSclafani – SP San Francisco Giants
Giants rotation in Cincinnati this week: Webb, DeSclafani (coming off IL), Stripling, Cobb.
— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) July 16, 2023
Be prepared.
Kevin Gausman – SP Toronto Blue Jays
Kevin Gausman (side) will not start in the Padres series.#BlueJays going Manoah, Berrios, Bassitt to give Gausman “a little bit of extra rest” per Schneider
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) July 16, 2023
Gausman missed his last start due to left-side discomfort. Now, there’s a possibility that he missed his next start as well. The team wants to give him some time off, but there’s no indication if that would be days or weeks. The hope is that he can make a start this week and get back to his dominant ways. Stay tuned.
Jeimer Candelario – Washington Nationals
Jeimer Candelario won’t play after all. He attempted to swing and take grounders to test his thumb, and apparently it didn’t go well. Here’s the new lineup … pic.twitter.com/vYjLLdofTa
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) July 16, 2023
There’s no word on if this will turn into a trip on the Injured List, but it’s worth noting that Candelario has just one at-bat since games resumed.