Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Monday, September 23, 2024. In today’s edition, Yordan Alvarez will have imaging done to test the severity of his knee injury, Francisco Lindor could be back tomorrow while Luis Castillo is also ready to return soon, plus there are a lot of season-ending injuries that you need to know about. All of that and so much more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Rafael Devers – 3B Boston Red Sox (shoulder)
Rafael Devers will not need surgery, per Alex Cora. His left shoulder is more an issue than the right one.
The hope is to speak to Devers today. Reporters have put in a request.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) September 22, 2024
Devers will miss the rest of the season because of soreness in both shoulders, and the proof is in the pudding. His struggles at the plate were evident with a September slump that saw him record just 33 hits over the season’s final two months, whereas he hit 34 in July. He revealed that he would not need surgery to fix the problem, and there have been some rumors of him possibly moving to a DH-type role in 2025.
Kenley Jansen – RP Boston Red Sox (shoulder)
Kenley Jansen is going to be shut down for the rest of the way due to his nagging shoulder.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) September 23, 2024
Jansen had been battling a shoulder injury for quite some time despite not missing any time to help it heal. Now, with one week left in the season, he will head to the Injured List and get a head start on the offseason. It remains unclear as to what needs to be done to fix this issue and where he will play next season as he is a free agent.
Yordan Alvarez – OF Houston Astros (knee)
Yordan Alvarez is undergoing imaging on his right knee. Joe Espada said he is “pretty sore.”
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) September 22, 2024
Alvarez injured his knee when he slid into second base trying to stretch a hit into a double. Labeled as a contusion, Alvarez will have some imaging done to ensure that this isn’t anything more than a bruise. His absence could extend into the playoffs if there is a bigger issue.
Kodai Senga – SP New York Mets (calf, tricep)
Kodai Senga felt tightness in his tricep, Carlos Mendoza said.
He will not return in the regular season, Mendoza said.
However, he will continue to throw.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) September 22, 2024
Senga was pushing to return this season, albeit in a reduced role of a bullpen arm. Instead, while he was rehabbing, he suffered an injury to his tricep, thus ending any and all hope of a comeback. He will hope to enter next season fully healthy and is a great buy-low option.
Francisco Lindor – SS New York Mets (back)
Francisco Lindor (back) will go through a full series of baseball activities today. But with an off day on Monday rapidly approaching, the Mets are now targeting Tuesday in Atlanta as his realistic best-case return date.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 21, 2024
There was hope all week that Lindor would return over the weekend. Instead, it is looking like Tuesday will be the date when he finally makes his way back into the Mets’ lineup. While nothing it yet confirmed, he is trending upward after receiving an injection and resuming baseball activities over the weekend. Updates will surely follow later today and tomorrow.
Luis Castillo – SP Seattle Mariners (hamstring)
Miller will start game 1 in Houston, TBA games 2 and 3 with Gilbert and Kirby most likely to go. Castillo eligible to come off the IL Tue., is making good progress and has thrown from the mound.
— Shannon Drayer (@shannondrayer) September 22, 2024
Castillo is eligible to return as of Tuesday, but there has been some talk of him pitching against the Athletics this weekend. While nothing is substantially concrete in nature, it’s looking more and more like he will be back before the season is over. Whether or not you should start him is a different story, but if you’re in need of innings, you could do worse.
Gabriel Moreno – C Arizona Diamondbacks (side)
https://t.co/Eq0pGpcMFG pic.twitter.com/L9dJsJhths
— Jack Sommers (@shoewizard59) September 22, 2024
There was significant worry right away when the injury happened, as the team thought they were losing a key piece to their postseason. Instead, for now, it would appear that Moreno’s injury won’t warrant anything major and that he should be ready for the playoffs. ALl of that might change once he sleeps on it and gets himself checked out. As for the rest of the season, it remains to be seen how often he is used for the final week.
Merrill Kelly – SP Arizona Diamondbacks (calf)
Merrill Kelly is leaving early in the sixth inning with an apparent injury.
Could be the cramping issue popping up yet again.
— Jesse Friedman (@JesseNFriedman) September 22, 2024
The good news here is that the issue probably won’t cost Kelly any time during the postseason, as cramping is one of the easiest injuries to fix if dealt with at the right time. We should find out more information this week as his next projected start would have been midweek. It remains to be seen if he will throw again or just wait for the playoffs to begin.
Ian Happ – OF Chicago Cubs (back)
Craig Counsell said Ian Happ had some low back tightness and is day to day after being a late scratch from today's lineup.
— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) September 22, 2024
With the Cubs officially eliminated from the playoffs, it wouldn’t be surprising if Happ was used sparingly for the remainder of the season, or if he was placed on the Injured List to get an early jump on preparing for a healthy 2025 season.
Max Scherzer – SP Texas Rangers (hamstring)
40-year-old Max Scherzer wants to pitch next season. He said he's obviously open to returning to Texas.
Regardless of where he pitches next season, Scherzer said he believes a full healthy offseason will set him up well to pitch in 2025.
— kennedi landry (@kennlandry) September 22, 2024
Scherzer’s season (and possible career) will end on a sour note, as he will miss the remainder of 2025 with a hamstring issue. This year was a disaster for him, as he missed time with a multitude of injuries that began in the offseason of last year. At age 40, it could be his body breaking down to the point where he cannot sustain a full season of pitching at this intensity. Still, chances are that he will end on more of a high note and possibly give it one more go-around to end his career on his terms.