Welcome to the Fantrax MLB Injury Report for Thursday, September 12, 2024. In today’s edition, Tarik Skubal has a scary moment during yesterday’s outing, Corey Seager gets sports hernia surgery for the second time this year, and Willson Contreras could be returning to the Cardinals’ lineup sooner than expected. All of that plays so much more in today’s Injury Report from Fantrax.
MLB Injury Report
Tarik Skubal – SP Detroit Tigers (hand)
Initial X-rays on Tarik Skubal’s right hand came back negative, according to manager A.J. Hinch. He’ll get additional tests.
— Jason Beck (@beckjason) September 12, 2024
Skubal took a comebacker off his hand and wrist area around where the ball meets the glove. His day was cut short just after 84 pitches in six innings of work. He did undergo X-rays on the area which came back clean, but, as mentioned, he will have additional tests done. Skubal himself said that he felt fine after the game and believed all would be well going forward. Time will tell what happens here, but we should know more information regarding this injury soon.
Corey Seager – SS Texas Rangers (sports hernia)
Seager sports hernia surgery tomorrow on right side
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) September 12, 2024
Seager will undergo sports hernia surgery for the second time this calendar year, but this time it will be on the right side of his body. If there was any hope that he would return in 2024, all of that was shattered with this announcement. It’s a shame because the talent for Corey Seager has always been there, but his body never seems to hold up. He will try to heal up and return healthy next season.
Jose Altuve – 2B Houston Astros (side)
Altuve had some tests today and it looks positive for Astros.
Espada: “Things look OK. Nothing I can tell you I’m worried about.”
He’s still day to day.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) September 12, 2024
All indications are that Altuve will return soon enough with a very minor injury here, as the additional tests made everything out to look ordinary and where it should be. There is a good chance that he is back in the lineup today.
Willson Contreras – C St. Louis Cardinals (finger)
#STLCards catcher Willson Contreras (broken left middle finger) will be reevaluated on Monday and the club will then chart his path to a return, manager Oliver Marmol said.
Contreras, who didn’t have surgery, has been out of the splint for the past week and is eager to return.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) September 12, 2024
The good news is that the splint was removed a week ago and now the re-evaluation could mean an increase in his ramp-up. If this is the case, he could return before the end of the season and give the Cardinals additional production at the plate. While St. Louis has yet to be eliminated from the playoffs, time is running out for them to make their move.
Alex Cobb – SP Cleveland Guardians (blister)
Guardians place RHP Alex Cobb on 15-day injured list with blister. Andrew Walters selected from
Columbus.— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) September 12, 2024
Cobb’s disappointing season could be over here, as his issue with a blister forces him to head onto the Injured List. He is eligible to return for the last week of the season and the Guardians will likely still be fighting for a playoff spot by then, so chances are that he will be given a chance to play if the blister heals, which for all intents and purposes should.
Tyler Fitzgerald – INF San Francisco Giants (back)
Tyler Fitzgerald said his lower back started locking up on him pre-game and got worse as the game wore on. He'll get imaging tomorrow but isn't super concerned — says he feels something like this every year.
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) September 13, 2024
Fitzgerald left last night’s game after one at-bat with a back injury. It turns out that this stemmed from a problem that started pregame. He will get it tested today to ensure that nothing is significantly wrong here, but he also doesn’t feel alarmed by it. Consider him DTD unless we hear otherwise, though it is interesting to note that this isn’t the first time he’s felt back pains like this.
Liam Hendriks – RP Boston Red Sox (elbow)
The Red Sox are likely going to shut Liam Hendriks down, despite a clean MRI.
— Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) September 12, 2024
Hendriks’ bid to return this season looks to be all for nothing, as it looks like he will be shut down for the remainder of the season. With the Red Sox still in the hunt for a Wild Card spot, Boston may need all the help it can get to catch the teams in front of them. That said, the long-term goal is not only being healthy, but staying healthy, and it was determined that would be best to rest until Opening Day 2025. For what it’s worth, Kenley Jansen is a free agent this offseason, and that spot may be in line for Hendriks, so preventing any injury now could save them significant money in the offseason.
Bo Bichette – SS Toronto Blue Jays (calf)
Bo Bichette went 1-for-3 with a strikeout in his 2nd rehab game with AAA Buffalo tonight. He also played 6 innings at shortstop.
Both of his batted-ball events produced an exit velocity over 100 mph. #BlueJays
1st inning: 103.4 (groundout)
6th inning: 105.8 (single)— Thomas Hall (@Hall_Thomas_) September 13, 2024
Bichette is now 2-for-6 in two games played for Triple-A Buffalo. He is playing the field and hitting the ball hard. Those are good signs thus far as he should return to the Jays and give them two good weeks of playing time before the end of the season.