Here is the Fantrax Prospect Injury Report for Sunday, April 2, 2023.
MLB Prospect Injury Report
Druw Jones – OF Arizona Diamondbacks
Jones is the third Diamondbacks’ prospect to have season-ending shoulder surgery, and the team is happy and (unfortunately) familiar with the process. Being the second overall pick in the draft, he is hoping to prove his worth on the field with a successful 2023 season. He is baseball’s 15th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Elly De La Cruz – SS Cincinnati Reds
The long-term plan is for De La Cruz to make it to the major leagues this year, but for how long is dependent on this injury. While the aforementioned return date is an approximation, it does show that he is close to getting back on the field. He is baseball’s 10th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand – 3B Cincinnati Reds
The long-term plan for Encarnacion-Strand, much like De La Cruz, is to make it to the major leagues in 2023. It is somewhat concerning that the injury, which was suffered back in February, reappeared in the spring. As a precaution, he will miss the start of the minor-league season to ensure that all is right with his back. He is the team’s 7th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
George Valera – OF Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland #Guardians 22yr old OF prospect George Valera is listed on the Columbus Clippers roster but is not currently with the team. Valera is being held back in Goodyear while he continues to recover from his hand injury, he suffered in spring training.
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) March 31, 2023
Valera made a splash in the spring but suffered wrist discomfort just before the beginning of March. He wasn’t going to make the team, but it’s unfortunate that he wasn’t able to showcase his talents. If things fall right, he could debut at some point this season. He is baseball’s 51st-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Austin Wells – C New York Yankees
Aaron Boone said Austin Wells will be out 6-8 weeks until he's full go. He has a cracked rib. He'll be out for the rest of spring. They'll bring in more catchers later in camp when Higashioka goes to the WBC.
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) March 1, 2023
This was news when it broke about a month ago, meaning he’s at least through half of the expected recovery. While he’s listed as a catcher, there are rumors that he will eventually play a different position when with the Yankees. Regardless, he’ll need time to ramp up once he’s able to resume baseball activities. He is the team’s 4th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Noah Song – SP Philadelphia Phillies
Phillies said Noah Song has been shut down from throwing because of back tightness. He had an MRI yesterday.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) March 11, 2023
He has since thrown a bullpen session in an effort to return. All that being said, the Phillies may want to play it slow with him, since he’s a Rule 5 Draft Pick, and must be on the team’s active roster when healthy. The only other option is for him to not remain within the organization.
Andrew Painter – SP Philadelphia Phillies
Andrew Painter remains on schedule to play catch at the end of the month, once he completes his prescribed four-week rest period. Dave Dombrowski said today that he believes Painter will pitch for the #Phillies at some point this season.
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) March 19, 2023
Since that time, he has been shut down from throwing. In an interview with Dave Dombrowski, it was noted that he will resume throwing this upcoming week in Florida. It will be a slow process of tossing, with not much velocity. The team believes that he will be back at some point, but it is sounding like a late-season debut. He is baseball’s 6th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Termarr Johnson – 2B Pittsburgh Pirates
One more prospect injury note: Termarr Johnson (hamstring) is in the second week of his running progression. Might take a bit longer than the original 4-6 recovery window, but that's bc they have identified some things in running mechanics they want to address. Not a setback. https://t.co/tNbLgKgy5Z
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) March 27, 2023
Johnson suffered a hamstring strain while in camp. When he returned, it was determined that he would miss six weeks of time to recover from his original date of injury in late February. He has since started running but is coming along slowly. As noted, this is not a setback, but rather a teaching moment. He is baseball’s 26th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Rickey Tiedemann – SP Toronto Blue Jays
Ricky Tiedemann has been recovering nicely from his left shoulder soreness and it sounds like #BlueJays are targeting Double-A New Hampshire's first home series in ~two weeks for his debut, per source.
— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) March 31, 2023
The team’s best pitching prospect suffered some shoulder soreness this spring. He appears to be on his way back on track and still could debut later this year. That’s assuming this isn’t a long-term issue. He is baseball’s 32nd-ranked prospect, according to MLB.
Robert Hassell – OF Washington Nationals
He is shut down at the moment dealing with a wrist issue — unrelated to his previous hamate injury.
— Barry Svrluga (@barrysvrluga) March 9, 2023
It has also been reported that he is fully recovered from that hamate injury. Yet, he remains out with this injury. He is slated to begin the season in Double-A, but no timeline has been set. He is baseball’s 35th-ranked prospect, according to MLB.