2011 Fantasy Baseball Injury Report: Jayson Werth, BJ Upton, Alex Rodriguez & More

Posted by Howard Bender on 08/25/2011 | 0 Comments

Tags: fantasy baseball, MLB injury report, 2011 fantasy baseball injury report, Jayson Werth, Alex Rodriguez, BJ Upton, Adam Jones, Brennan Boesch Shin Soo Choo, Colby Rasmus, Stephen Strasburg, Dee Gordon

Given the length of the baseball season and the fact that most of these guys play an average of six games per week, it’s no wonder that the MLB injury report is constantly being added to and made to look like a gigantic laundry list of players and ailments.  Fantasy baseball owners have to put in a tireless effort to stay on top of all the latest bumps and bruises, working their lineups around some of the more serious injuries while making all of the necessary tweaks to accommodate the routine dings and dents that can keep a guy on the bench for the day.  No one said winning your fantasy league was going to be easy, but in an effort to help you along, here’s what’s going down at the MLB infirmary…

Banged Up

Jayson Werth’s disappointing first season in Washington gets a little worse as he sits with a groin injury.  He hurt himself Tuesday, was out of the lineup Wednesday and could miss another game or two.  Manager Davey Johnson said that if they were in a pennant race then Werth would suit up, but with the Nationals out of contention, there’s no need to rush him.  No sense in further damaging $127M worth of yuck, it seems.

It looks like Brennan Boesch’s thumb injury, which kept him out of the lineup earlier this month, is giving him trouble again.  He was removed from Wednesday’s game after a 0-for-3 with three strikeouts by manager Jim Leyland who knew the outfielders thumb was getting worse.  The Tigers are hoping that a little rest will help, but a DL stint is possible if he needs added time off.  Magglio Ordonez will definitely see action on Thursday and maybe more, depending on how Boesch is feeling.

There is definitely something serious going on with Adam Jones these days and he and the team seem to be staying pretty vague about it.  Jones was hospitalized on Tuesday with an unknown illness, but somehow made it into the lineup on Wednesday.  He was removed in the seventh innings after complaining of general soreness, but later specified that the soreness he had been feeling in his chest and shoulder had moved to his neck.  Monitor this one closely as there is a good chance that this is more than just a day to day thing.

Shin-Soo Choo was a late scratch Wednesday due to, what they were calling “trunk soreness”.  Choo, however, was complaining of side soreness, so an oblique issue isn’t out of the question.  You’ll want to monitor his status daily to be sure he returns to the lineup.  All that time off with the thumb injury was bad enough, but just when he starts to get hot again, now this.  He’s still a great option when he’s healthy, but…when he’s healthy.

Since the beginning of August, Michael Brantley has been dealing with a lingering wrist issue and it’s recently kept him out of action this week.  There’s a chance he makes it back into the lineup Friday, especially with Choo banged up, but you’ll want to keep checking back on his status.  When healthy though, he’s a solid mix of power and speed and can be a huge help to your lineup with a strong September.

Check those daily lineup cards for Vladimir Guerrero who was a late scratch from Wednesday’s game due to soreness in his wrist.  Guerrero was hit on the wrist by a batted ball during BP and was taken for x-rays immediately afterwards.  The x-rays were negative, but there’s a chance he misses a game or two now.

The Mets kept Ronny Paulino on the bench Wednesday after possibly suffering a broken toe.  He’s going to have x-rays done on Thursday back in New York, bu the team has already called up Mike Nickeas from Triple-A, so the outlook must not be too good.

You can now add Nate Schierholtz’ name to that ridiculously long list of injured Giants this season as it was discovered the other day that the outfielder has a fracture in his foot.  No one is saying DL just yet and he claims that he can play through it, but there are some serious concerns here.  He is currently in a walking boot and should be out for the next few games, possibly the whole rest of the week, and will then be re-evaluated.  Time to hit that waiver wire and find a replacement for longer than just a day here.

After all that time on the shelf with knee surgery, it’s a jammed thumb that has now kept Alex Rodriguez on the bench the last two games.  The swelling has gone down, x-rays came back negative and he should be good to go in another day or two.  Just keep tabs on him if you’re making daily roster adjustments.

B.J. Upton was out of the starting lineup for a second consecutive day on Wednesday while he is recovering from a shoulder strain he sustained Monday.  He came in as a pinch hitter on Tuesday, but apparently will not play the field again until atleast Friday.  If the stiffness has subsided enough, you could see him in action of the weekend, but you’ll want to check the Rays’ daily lineup card just to be sure.  Desmond Jennings will move over to center while Sam Fuld gets a little extra PT.

The Braves were without Jose Constanza in the outfield on Wednesday as he deals with a sprained ankle he suffered the other day.  It seems to be very minor, so the platooning outfielder shouldn’t miss more than another game.  Jason Heyward gets a little extra work…not that an extra game played due to injury is going to make up for the fact that the former uber-prospect has been a bit of a bust this year.

Updating an item from the last injury report, Carlos Quentin has been diagnosed with a sprain of the AC joint in his left shoulder, and while he’s being considered day to day, manager Ozzie Guillen expects him to miss more than a few more days on top of the five days that he’s just missed.  Quentin injured his shoulder making a diving catch and the MRI results officially revealed the injury the other day.  There is a good chance Quentin lands on the disabled list.

Also continuing from last week, Tsuyoshi Nishioka continues to be sidelined with a back issue and it looks like the Twins will keep him on the bench and allow him to take as long as he needs to recover.  With the Twins 15 games out of first in the Central and 23 games out of the Wild Card, there is little reason to think the team will be rushing anyone back from injury anytime soon.

It looks like Colby Rasmus will be out a few games for the Jays as he deals with a wrist injury.  Manager John Farrell doesn’t think a DL stint is necessary and that Rasmus will just miss two or three games.  Continue to stash him on your bench and hope for one of his mini hot streaks when he returns.

Other players dealing with minor injuries that may miss a game here or there include:  Raul Ibanez and Luis Rodriguez        

Out of Commission

The Pirates placed trade deadline acquisition Ryan Ludwick on the DL due to a stiff back, retroactive to Tuesday.  The team has dramatically fallen out of contention, so don’t be surprised if they just take their time and allow Ludwick to sit out the rest of the season.  Picking him up was a noble effort on the Bucs part, but they just came up a little short this year.  ::golf clap::

It’s been a rough August for Mets starter Jonathon Niese who, after losing his third straight start, landed on the DL Wednesday with a rib cage injury.  He’s eligible to return mid-September, but there’s certainly no guarantee of that.  The team is expected to call up Miguel Batista, Pat Misch or Craig Schwinden as a replacement, but none of those names should be added to any fantasy roster.

It’s not an injury report section without including someone from the San Francisco Giants, so let’s point out that Jonathan Sanchez was officially placed on the DL with a sprained ankle and won’t be back until early to mid-September.  It certainly looks like the baseball gods have little desire to see the defending champs back in the playoffs.

On the Mend

Pat Burrell finally started his first rehab assignment in Class-A after having been out since July 14^th with a foot injury.  But don’t get too excited about him returning to the Giants anytime soon – not because of the slow rehab process, but because he stinks and probably won’t do anything to help your fantasy teams even if he does, somehow, manage to make it back into a game this year.

Also working his way back for the Giants is center fielder Andres Torres who has been on the DL with a leg injury.  Torres has just begun his Triple-A rehab assignment and is slated to return August 28^th.  He may platoon a little with Cody Ross in center, but when he’s in the lineup, he’ll atleast be batting in the leadoff spot.

The Dodgers should be getting rookie shortstop Dee Gordon back from the disabled list this weekend as he wraps up his rehab assignment down in Triple-A.  If you’re looking for some cheap stolen bases, he’ll be the guy to grab.  Hopefully he’ll stay healthy and get on base enough to make himself a worthwhile waiver addition.

Brewers center fielder Carlos Gomez may finally begin his rehab this weekend after missing time with a broken collarbone.  He’ll be evaluated Friday, and if all goes well, he’ll take the necessary steps to be ready for when rosters expand September 1^st.  Nyjer Morgan has a pretty good hold on the job right now, but Gomez may get a few starts in there and he’ll definitely be used for pinch running if you need the steals.

Obligatory Stephen Strasburg Update – expected to make Triple-A rehab start August 27^th.

Other players coming back in the next few days include:  Chase D’Arnaud, Alex Presley, Eli Whiteside, Cole Hamels (maybe a start on the 29^th), Jose Reyes, and Freddy Garcia  

Those looking at an early September return include: Bobby Jenks, Huston Street, Tommy Hanson, Matt Lindstrom, Nick Blackburn, Rickie Weeks, Travis Hafner, and Jimmy Rollins

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Howard Bender is the founder of The Fantasy Baseball Buzz and SF Giants Report.  You can also find his work at FanGraphs and RotoWire.  For questions, thoughts and comments, you can email Howard at rotobuzzguy@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter - @rotobuzzguy and @SFGiantsReport.