Here is the Fantrax Injury Report for Wednesday, August 24, 2023. In today’s edition, the Los Angeles Angels lost both Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout yesterday. Both players will be out of action for some time (Ohtani may still hit) with injuries that have lingered for a while. Ohtani has a torn UCL and won’t pitch again this year, while Trout’s wrist injury continues to bother him. Those injuries and more are examined below in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
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MLB Injury Report
Jack Flaherty – SP Baltimore Orioles
Here's the full transcript of today's interview with Jack Flaherty on why he isn't starting tonight for #Orioles: pic.twitter.com/hbBxHWqF0G
— Jake Rill (@JakeDRill) August 23, 2023
Flaherty was skipped in the rotation with “general soreness” in his body. As he explained, he just didn’t recover quite the way he usually did or would have wanted to. Something felt off and he needed an extra break. Whether or not that leads to something significant remains to be seen, but for now, the team will take a cautious approach. It looks like this was Flaherty’s decision as he informed the team of his situation. It’s peculiar that he didn’t extrapolate on the final question, but overall the hope here is that he is DTD. He may have to wait until his turn in the rotation comes through again in a few days’ time.
Adam Frazier – 2B Baltimore Orioles
Adam Frazier wasn’t available last night due to sore right hand. Is available tonight #orioles
— Roch Kubatko (@masnRoch) August 23, 2023
Frazier did not come into last night’s game and has now missed three in a row. It remains to be seen if he will return today, but he’s likely close.
John Means – SP Baltimore Orioles
More pitching news from the Orioles: John Means’ next rehab start is scheduled for Friday with Triple-A Norfolk. Brandon Hyde said yesterday he remains on track for an early September return.
— Nathan Ruiz (@NathanSRuiz) August 23, 2023
This is great news as it looks like Means will make his 2023 debut soon enough. For context, he has posted a 6.14 ERA over 7.1 innings pitched with ten strikeouts and two walks.
Kenley Jansen – RP Boston Red Sox
Jansen left the game last night after one batter. The team will likely be cautious with him, though how he feels today will be telling. It’s quite possible that he will go on the Injured List, but more updates will be known later today and tomorrow.
Jarren Duran – OF Boston Red Sox
Red Sox are putting Jarren Duran in a walking boot and still want to gather more information after his MRI
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) August 23, 2023
Uh oh. This could mean that Duran will be on the Injured List for longer than the minimum of ten days. We should know more in the upcoming days, but this is not encouraging.
Michael Kopech – SP Chicago White Sox
Michael Kopech left today’s game with leg cramps and is day-to-day.
— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) August 23, 2023
Kopech left yesterday’s game after striking out five batters over five innings. There should be updates soon to see if he will be able to pitch his next time through the rotation.
Michael Brantley – OF Houston Astros
Dusty said Michael Brantley will DH today "and we'll make a determination after today."
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 23, 2023
Interesting. We should have updates soon enough to see if Brantley will in fact play for the Astros this season.
Yordan Alvarez – OF Houston Astros
Dusty Baker said he is “hopeful” that Yordan Alvarez could be back in the lineup tomorrow.
— Matt Kawahara (@matthewkawahara) August 23, 2023
Fingers crossed that this does in fact happen.
Shohei Ohtani – UT/P Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout – OF Los Angeles Angels
Perry Minasian provides injury updates on Trout and Ohtani@Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/S0mQguxGnQ
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) August 24, 2023
An absolutely brutal day for the Angels. Please note, there is news everywhere on the injuries to both Ohtani and Trout. This one seemed to be the most informative.
Ohtani left his start yesterday with what was described as arm fatigue. In between games, he and the training staff met and it was determined that he had a torn UCL in his elbow. Prior to this, he had a few games where he left via the same arm fatigue, but nothing was said, noted, or done that gave the indication of this injury.
He will not pitch again this season. There will be a determination made soon as to what the next steps will be. He could have Tommy John Surgery for a second time, just like he did in 2018. Other options are also on the table, but that seems to be the most prominent one. Back when he had that surgery in 2018, he was able to remain as the team’s designated hitter and played through the injury. Whether or not that happens now is unknown. He is headed into free agency and should still command a ton of money.
Trout will head back to the Injured List with renewed soreness in his wrist. He continues to get treatment for it, but he’s missed the last few games because of it. The call to let him rest it for 10 days was made in order to not have it flare up even more and to not have him compensate with other parts of the body with injuries there. The team is hopeful that he will return this season, but that isn’t necessarily a given either.
Johnny Cueto – SP Miami Marlins
Johnny Cueto playing catch. Clearly feeling better. pic.twitter.com/lbYbNMBjGd
— Daniel Álvarez-Montes (@DanielAlvarezEE) August 23, 2023
Cueto went to the Injured List because of a viral infection, but it looks like he is feeling better. Chances are that he can be back within the fifteen-day absence window.
Avisail Garcia – OF Miami Marlins
Marlins placed Avisail García on the IL with a hamstring strain. Unclear on severity as MRI will determine- but with 6 weeks of the season left, it is fair to wonder if he has played his last game with the Marlins. He is still owed about $30 million dollars.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) August 23, 2023
Garcia has struggled to stay on the field all season. And even when he does play, he’s struggled at the plate. As Mish said here, he may not be on the Marlins next season.
Sal Frelick – OF Milwaukee Brewers
Sal Frelick had an MRI on his hamstring, which checked out OK. But Craig Counsell says he’s still considered day-to-day.
— Todd Rosiak (@Todd_Rosiak) August 23, 2023
Frelick hasn’t played since August 19, and with the team’s day off today, the hope is that he returns Friday. Stay tuned.
Joe Ryan – SP Minnesota Twins
The Twins have announced that Bailey Ober will start on Sunday. They still have Saturday listed as TBA. Would expect that would be Joe Ryan.
— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) August 23, 2023
Be prepared.
Oneil Cruz – SS Pittsburgh Pirates
Oneil Cruz’s rehab has “plateaued,” per director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk. Cruz has stopped his running progression due to left foot general soreness.
Regarding if Cruz can still play this year, Tomczyk said, “It’s tough to tell right now, but we are running out of days.”
— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) August 23, 2023
It’s an unfortunate development for Cruz and for fantasy owners who have held onto him all season. It’s beginning to look like he may be shut down for the season and return healthy in the spring.
Henry Davis – C/OF Pittsburgh Pirates
Davis’ injured thumb has lingered for quite some time, which explains his struggles at the plate as of late. The hope is that he will be able to return before the season ends.
Nolan Gorman – 2B St. Louis Cardinals
#STLCards lefty slugger Nolan Gorman (low back pain) is going through a full pregame workout session today. If all goes well — and the Cards fully believe it will — he will return to action against the #Phillies on Friday.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) August 23, 2023
We should get word on how that workout went soon with an estimation of a Gorman return. Stay tuned.
Nathan Eovaldi – SP Texas Rangers
Eovaldi continues to trend toward a return, but nothing seems imminent. The Rangers are treating him with kid gloves in a way similar to how they treated deGrom. That said, there’s been no indication of him being shut down with a season-ending injury.
Stone Garrett – OF Washington Nationals
Nats are waiting for X-ray and MRI results on Stone Garrett, but Davey Martinez said good initial sense is that it’s his lower leg, not ankle.
— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) August 24, 2023
Garrett hurt himself in the outfield trying to grab a home run on the wall. He needed to be carted off of the field. He was being examined overnight, but from this report, it would appear that his lower leg is the injured body part and not his ankle. While all of this news is bad news, it could be a bright spot in that nothing would be fractured. That said, the best is wished for Garrett.