What was a promising season for the Reds is likely going to take another hit as Edison Volquez had to leave after 1 inning coming off the DL. He left with numbness and tingling in his pinkie and ring finger which indicates something is either pressing or irritating the ulnar nerve in his elbow. This can either be ulnar neuritis or worse be the result of instability in the elbow leading to surgery. He most likely won’t require Tommy John surgery but if the neuritis is severe enough and it’s deemed to be the result of biomechanical issues, he very well could end up getting the ulnar transposition surgery. He’s one of those players that you can’t just drop in case it isn’t too severe, but you should start to think of other possibilities in case he ends up on the DL for a while.
Jose Valverde finally threw a bullpen session as he returns from the severe hematoma in his calf. Even though it was only 25 pitches, he didn’t report any pain or problems with his calf afterwards and it was a very important first step in his recovery. He has kept his arm strength up during his rehab so now he just has to retrain the kinetic chain. He’s likely looking at a mid June return approximately.
In a surprising turn, Grady Sizemore’s elbow may end up needing surgery despite not having major structural damage if the pain does not go away after the DL stint. What would likely happen is a debridement of the area and that’ll put him out around 6 weeks or so, although I wouldn’t be surprised if there was minor bone spur that was cleaned up too.
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injury analysis
Edinson Volquez, Grady Sizemore, Jose Valverde, Josh Hamilton
Andres Torres ran the bases on Monday during he’s rehab from a hamstring strain. He’s aiming for a return next week. Alex Gonzalez played catch and took batting practice on Monday as he rehabs from an oblique injury. Technically he’s still DTD. Josh Hamilton is set to be activated from the DL on Tuesday for his strained ribcage. Chipper Jones might have to get a cortisone injection in his elbow and that will cost him 3 games. The bulging disc in Derrek Lee’s neck isn’t considered career threatening so he’s hoping to get back Tuesday night. Chien-Mien Wang will need more than one rehab start according to Cashman. Andrew Miller threw 6 innings and 80+ pitches during his rehab start. He’s on track to return May 16th.
injury analysis
Alex Gonzalez, Andres Torres, Andrew Miller, Chien-Mien Wang, Chipper Jones, Josh Hamilton
Injuries at this time of the year really start to effect your team, especially when it’s to a superstar like Josh Hamilton. After several days of the wait and see, he was finally placed on the 15-day DL with a intercostal strain on Friday. This will give the Rangers a little roster flexibility and it will give Josh a chance to focus on healing and not worrying about trying to get back on the field. Fantasy Impact: The fact that he was put on the DL means that they expect him to be out at least for another week. Trunk strains/sprains cause a disconnect in the transfer of power so he might have a slight decrease in power initially. Expect him back within a few weeks and everything should be back to normal by late May.
Things aren’t going as well for Brian McCann as he deals with his blurry vision. The contacts haven’t worked so they’re going to try and use some prescription glasses similar to Oakleys in a last ditch effort to avoid another LASIK procedure. McCann has said that if surgery is absolutely necessary he’ll try and play through it and have surgery at the end of the season. Fantasy Impact: If that’s the case, I expect his production will suffer because of the continued blurriness. Even then, there’s the risk that he won’t be able to continue and be forced to undergo it mid-season.
Nick Swisher was hit on the elbow by a Jered Weaver pitch and had to leave the game. Coincidence or not, Juan Miranda was taken out of the game for unknown reasons. If it was something that he’d have to go on the DL, the injury was probably a fracture of some kind, although it could also be a severe contusion. Fantasy Impact: Taking away one of the hottest bats for the Yankees, the offense could suffer for the few games until ARod comes back. Matsui, Cabrera, and Miranda will all get some of the ABs when Swisher can’t play.
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DL, injury analysis, news
Brian McCann, David Dellucci, Jose Valverde, Josh Hamilton, Kenji Johjima, Nick Swisher
Josh Hamilton is still battling the sore ribs after crashing into the wall last week. He’s reportedly received an injection (most likely a combination of cortisone and a pain reliever) into the area to hopefully put him over the edge and let him heal quicker. What likely happened is when he bruised the ribs, he also sprained the area called the costochondral joint or in other words where the ribs and cartilage meet. This can be extremely painful and can linger for a little while because there is no way for it to completely rest short of stopping breathing. Fantasy Impact: Marlon Byrd is getting the bulk of the time in center with Andruw Jones getting the starts in left. If Hamilton goes on the DL, expect Byrd to stay in center for the time being.
Mike Rivera was placed on the DL with a sprained ankle. Even though it was not thought to be too serious initially, he reportedly arrived into the clubhouse with a pretty serious limp. The Brewers have one of the best medical staffs in the bigs, so if they deem the extra rest necessary, I will trust them. Fantasy Impact: He’ll likely be out for only the minimum but he didn’t have too much fantasy value anyays. If you need someone immediately, you could always pick up someone else off the wire.
Travis Hafner is on the DL now with right shoulder soreness. This is the same shoulder he had problems with previously and is on his way to visit Dr. Andrews’ team. The front shoulder (the right shoulder in Hafner’s case) is the power shoulder and therefore it helps to explain the extreme drop in power during the last couple of years. Fantasy Impact: Not good for Hafner. VMart and Shoppach will both get more ABs as they rotate through the DH slot. Read more…
DL, injury analysis, news
Andruw Jones, Jeff Baker, Josh Hamilton, Marlon Byrd, Mike Rivera, Travis Hafner
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